


The DLS-S Cruise

by ScienceFantasy93



Series: The Replacement's Revenge [1]
Category: Big Time Rush
Genre: Blackmail, Creepy Cruise, F/M, Horror, Mentions of Underage Sex, Murder, Rape/Non-con References, Revenge, Romance, Stalker, Suspense, Threats, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-26 13:29:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/650984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScienceFantasy93/pseuds/ScienceFantasy93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exploding cars. Revealed secrets. Blackmail. Welcome to the DLS-S Cruise.</p>
<p>Three years after Big Time Rush abruptly ends, the gang is threatened into a cruise, set up by someone calling them self The Replacement. The stakes are high and the clock is ticking, counting down the time until The Replacement gets his revenge. Their friendship was ruined by secrets, but now they'll have to come together again to survive the DLS-S Cruise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Invitation Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I began writing almost a year and a half ago for fanfiction.net. Hope you guys enjoy it :)

****

**Chapter 1 – The Invitation Part 1**

**(Wednesday, April 30** **th** **)**

**Katie's POV**

My head ached and I was beyond exhausted, my brain still sifting its way through all the useless information I had picked up that day. Let's see…X=Y…since when? Where did the Gettysburg [address](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/1/The-DLSS-Cruise) take place? Take a guess at that one. Why was James Diamond's newest single number one on iTunes? Oh, wait, that question hadn't come up in any of my classes. Besides, the answer was pretty obvious.

It was the sex appeal he oozed, that he worked to his advantage.

But that wasn't the point. I did my best not to think about James and any of my brother's ex-best friends. Come to think of it, I did my best not to think of Kendall at all, because I was still too pissed off with him to really think of him in a rational, non-violent way.

From behind me, a horn honked, and I immediately snapped out of the faraway zone my brain had been drifting off to, and hit the gas of my '95 black [Honda Civic](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/1/The-DLSS-Cruise). The car lurched forward and I continued to press my foot against the pedal harder and harder, until I finally got it up to thirty-five miles per hour. Well, maybe thirty-two miles per hour. The piece of crap refused to go faster than, say, slug speed, which meant that whoever ended up behind me on the highway tended to zoom around me in less than a second. It was pretty pathetic. But it was the only car that I could afford, thanks to my brother and his stupid ex-friends.

I continued down Main Street of Chasm Lake, the small Minnesota town that I had grown up in, had left for a wonderful six years, and then had been forced to return to three years ago.

Chasm Lake. What an appropriate name for the place. Really, that was all the town was – a lake, and a chasm of land in the middle of Nowhere County, Minnesota. Most of the people I knew hated this place, and wanted to leave, but very few rarely ever made it out. I had almost left for good…and then just when I thought I had triumphed, I had been pulled back in.

I signaled and turned left, onto the street I had spent the first eleven years of my life on, and had spent the past four years of my life plotting my escape.

I pulled into the all-too familiar driveway, in front of the all-too familiar tiny house. I parked the car, shut off the ignition, and hauled my tired body out of the driver's seat, grabbing my backpack as I did so. I threw the ten pound bag over my shoulders and walked up the pathway to the front door. I paused on the door stoop while I fumbled with my keys, finally getting the proper one into the door lock. I turned it and there was a clicking sound, signaling the key had worked this time. It didn't always – there had been days, particularly in the middle of winter, when it was twenty below zero, when the lock refused to be, well, unlocked. But since it was spring and everything was de-thawing, the lock worked just fine.

I turned the doorknob and walked into the small, but neatly furnished living room. It was dark in there, the entire house was dark, and since I hadn't seen Mom's car in the driveway, I could safely assume that she was still at work at the diner. I glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and saw that it was only

3:30 PM. No wonder. Mom wouldn't be home for another hour or so, and that was if she didn't pick up a double shift.

I was exhausted, but I had a shitload of homework that needed to be done before I needed to leave for my job as a waitress at the same diner that Mom worked on.

I dragged myself down the hall to my room, plopped down in my desk chair, slipped my earbuds into my ears, and clicked on a Sum 41 album. Ahhhh. Complaining and pessimism. Just what I needed.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays it's the same routine. I drive down to the local community college, try to force myself through Algebra II (because I couldn't pass it in high school), U.S History 105, and Economics 100, before driving back home, forcing myself through all of my homework, before leaving at 7:30 for my four hour shift. The diner is open 24/7, even on Sundays, thus the reason why I got off at midnight. If I was lucky, I would get home around 12:30 AM, and would collapse for the next six hours or so, until I had to drag my ass out of bed again. Tuesdays and Thursdays and the weekend were the best days, because I didn't have to work so I could more or less catch up on my sleep and any homework I had been forced to leave undone the night before.

It could be a miserable existence at times, but I was just going through the motions until I could get the hell out of here. But there I was, nineteen years old, the sister to a two-time-successful brother, and I was still living in the same crappy town, in the same crappy house, that I had before Brother Dearest made his first million.

At 4:30, just as I had predicted, I heard the front door open and Mom call out to me.

I abandoned the evil algebra problem I had been trying to solve, and headed out into the living room where she had just collapsed on the couch. Her pretty, curly red hair was pinned up in a messy bun, and her sweet eyes were lined. Her makeup had been rubbed off, and she smelled like onions and beef fat. It wasn't necessarily the worst smell for a restaurant (although it sure wasn't the most attractive), but it sucked rocks as a perfume.

"Hi Sweetie," Mom said with a soft smile as I walked into the living room. She kissed me on the forehead and I curled up on the cushion next to her. She ran her fingers through my brown hair, smoothing it out. "How was class?"

I shrugged. "It was class. Nothing more, nothing less."

Mom pressed her lips together sadly. "I know you'd rather be attending business school out in LA, but even with your scholarship, we can't – "

"Afford it," I finished for her. "Yeah Mom, I know. We've been all but broke ever since Kendall abandoned us four years ago."

"He didn't abandon us!" Mom protested. "He just…left…and very rarely sends money…and never contacts us…"

"Speaking of, some kids in my history class were talking about the game last night," I told Mom. "The Wilders won, thanks to Kendall."

Mom smiled in pride. "Good for him. Maybe I'll give him a call and congratulate him."

"If he hasn't changed his phone number again," I grumbled. "I swear, he's worse than James used to…"

I broke off. I hadn't spoken James's name out loud for nearly three years.

There was a brief silence, and then Mom said, "Kendall has tons of fans, thanks to both Big Time Rush and the Minnesota Wild. Of course he'll need to change his number every few months."

That was Mom's excuse for why every time we tried to call Kendall we got a "the number you have dialed is no longer available" on the other end of the line. I for one would love to believe Mom, but I don't think she even believes that herself. Besides, I've seen too much at this point to believe the best of my brother. Don't get me wrong – I love him dearly. But I also hate him. Love and hate are never meant to be mixed, but yet, here they are. It would be easier if I only hated him, but he's my brother and for the first sixteen years of my life, he protected me. And then he just upped and abandoned Mom when Big Time Rush fell apart. Mom swears he had his reasons, but she won't tell me what they are. The last thing Kendall said to me was: "One day I'll tell you why I'm no longer talking to Mom, but until then, I don't want anything to do with her. You'll find out why when you're older."

Well, I'm older now, and I haven't heard anything from him since he left to join the Minnesota Wild. So the excuse he gave me was probably just bullshit, and he didn't want to admit that he was too selfish to actually care about Mom and me. Which is why I was currently balancing school with work, driving a crappy car, and praying every day that one of these days, I would get out of Chasm Lake, Minnesota.

I glanced at the clock over the mantelpiece. "I should go finish my homework, I have to leave in three hours for work."

The corners of Mom's mouths dropped down into a sad grimace. "Is it really going to take you three hours?" she asked pleadingly.

"Probably not," I told her, "but if it does, then it's good to have that extra time. When I'm finished, I'll come and hang out with you."

Mom nodded. "All right. I was just going to heat up a couple of Lean Cuisine meals for dinner, is that okay with you?"

Mom's culinary skills have seriously gone down the drain ever since Kendall left. Lean Cuisine TV dinners usually serves as our evening meals, unless she's picked up something from work, although sometimes she'll splurge for pizza or Chinese food when she needs a serious pick-me-up.

I hugged Mom and then got up off the couch, and walked back to my room where I had left the sadistic algebra problem. After plenty of teeth grinding and hair pulling, I figured it out, and continued on to the next one. It was nearly an hour later when I finished the worksheet, and my brain felt like it was on the verge of collapsing.

I was just pulling my Economic textbook towards me so that I could get some of the reading done, when my Pantech Breeze II phone lit up and vibrated against the surface of my desk: 1 New Message.

Well, I could use the break from schoolwork.

I snatched my phone up and flipped it open so that I could read the text. I was expecting to see a message from one of my friends from school, or maybe from work, telling me that they were going to be needing me a little earlier. What I didn't expect to see was a blocked number and four more messages popping up in my conversation box, so that it was just one super long text message:

_**So, Katie Knight, how're you doing? Enjoying Chasm Lake, MN? Enjoying Chasm Lake Community College, and Gracie's Diner? Tsk, tsk, tsk, whatever happened to you darling? You were going to be a big – BIG – talent agent, and instead…well, let's face it, there you are right now, sitting in your bedroom while you do your homework like the good little girl that we both know you're not. How cuh-yoot! So babe, creeped out yet? You should be. I would be if someone was watching my every move. Stay tuned, something interesting should be happening soon. That is what you want, right? Something interesting. In that case, you'll love this. ;) –The Replacement. P.S – talked to James Diamond lately?** _

I just gaped at the phone in my hand. Who the hell was The Replacement, why was their number blocked, why were they spying on me, what did they want, and what business was if of theirs whether or not they had talked to James recently?

And then it hit me –

I leapt to my feet and rushed to my window. I couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean anything. Our house is one level, and my bedroom blinds were cracked open, meaning that anyone could have been peeking in without me realizing. But why did they know so much about my life? And what did they mean by "something interesting should be happening soon"? What the hell did that mean? Was that a hint that someone was going to throw a hand grenade through our living room window, or that I was just going to get a late birthday card from some long-lost relative? And why was James even mentioned? Did they know – ? No, how could they? Only James and I shared that particular secret, and that's the way it was going to stay.

I wasn't sure if the text would go through, but I knew I had to try something – I mean, who the hell was this person?

I quickly typed in:  _ **Who the fuck do you think you are, spying on me like some insane stalker? And what the hell do you mean "something interesting should be happening soon"? And why is it any business of YOURS if I've talked to James recently anyway? Why should it matter to YOU?**_

And I hit  _send_.

Possibly not the smartest move I could have made. Calling someone an "insane stalker" usually pisses them off, but I was just plain angry, and I was running off of adrenaline. Maybe if the fear had hit me, I would have figured out that sending that text was stupid, but it was like the fear was frozen.

I somehow managed to finish the reading for Economics and filled out the worksheet for my U.S History 102 class. It was nearly 7:00 when I slipped the worksheet into my backpack.

I stood up and pressed my hands to my lower back, stretching out my spine, before walking out to the kitchen, where Mom was standing in front of the oven, counting the seconds until our dinner was finished cooking.

"Hi sweetie, did you finish your homework?" she asked, sounding much more cheerful than she had earlier.

"Yeah," I replied. "But man, algebra should be illegal."

Mom laughed. "I completely agree."

"So which Lean Cuisine dinners are we having?" I asked, trying to peer into the oven.

"The chicken and broccoli pasta," Mom answered. "And I'm heating corn up in the microwave." She nodded to said appliance, which, sure enough, was humming loudly as the timer counted down.

"Sounds good," I agreed blankly, my mind flashing back to the text I had received. I had never heard back from  _The Replacement_ , whoever the hell they were, and frankly, I didn't care. That text was creepy enough without a follow-up one, and I could only hope I never heard back from The Replacement again. And what kind of name was The Replacement anyway? That was just a bizarre name anyway.

The oven timer went off, and a split second later, the microwave beeped. Mom and I pulled our dinner out of the two ovens, and sat down at the table with plates, forks, and napkins.

I quickly ate, and then leapt up to change out of my t-shirt and hoodie and into the Gracie's Diner t-shirt that all employees were required to wear, and covered it with a sweatshirt. I pulled my long brown hair up in a ponytail, slipped on another layer of makeup, and grabbed my purse.

Mom was still in the kitchen, sitting at the table, sorting through the mail, so I went in to say goodbye to her.

She was holding a letter, her eyes wide.

"Mom?" I touched her shoulder and she nearly tumbled out of her seat.

"Oh! Katie! You nearly scared me half to death, honey!"

"Sorry," I apologized. "What're you reading?"

"Just…nothing. A tax notice."

"Oh, sounds pleasant. Anyway, I'm leaving now, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Mom nodded, face still very pale as I kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Katie."

"Love you too, Mom," I replied with a smile before I headed back outside. I opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. I slipped the key into the ignition and turned, hearing the engine roll over startlingly loud. I rolled my window down a tiny bit, and a breeze drifted in, and that's when I saw it: A folded piece of white copy paper on the passenger's seat.

With shaking fingers, I reached over and gingerly picked the paper up. There was a newspaper clipping attached to it with a paper clip, with the headline:  _ **Minnesota Wild Leads In Hockey Playoffs – Center Kendall Knight Scores Winning Goal At Tuesday Night's Game**_.

Underneath the headline was the article, and a blown up picture of Kendall in full hockey gear, his hockey mask up so that his face was shown. He was grinning proudly while his teammates surrounded him, patting him on the back. He looked happy, and why shouldn't he? He had a fantastic career as a hockey player, playing for his all-time favorite team. No doubt he had a fabulous life, filled with girls and cars and mansions. Lucky him.

I flipped back to the regular paper, and my stomach rolled over. The note was handwritten, and scrawled in large letters across the paper:  _ **How does it feel to be Kendall Knight's sister? Too bad he abandoned you and your mom. But did he really abandon you? Aren't you even a tiny bit curious about why he left? Even just a little bit? I'm sure he had his reasons. Don't worry, little one, before long they'll be revealed to you. –The Replacement.**_

I crumpled up the papers and stuffed them in my glove compartment. "You don't know anything," I muttered. "And how the hell did you get into my car?"

Someone must've picked the lock. There were plenty of people around here who never bothered to lock their cars or their houses, but after living six years in Minnesota, some habits were permanently instilled in me. I always locked the door, even if I was just leaving the car for five minutes. There was no way they could have gotten in if they didn't happen to have a lock-picking set on them.

"What's next?" I muttered. "A magazine interview with James? An article on Carlos's new reality show? Maybe something in Doctor's Digest on Logan? Screw you, whoever you are."

And with those words, I slammed the gears into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

People are usually at home and have finished dinner by 7:30 – in Chasm Lake, it's practically a crime not to follow that timeline – so the traffic was pretty mild. I navigated easily through my hometown, and reached the restaurant by a quarter to 8.

I parked in the designated employee parking area, and crawled out of the car, double and triple checking to make sure that all of the car doors were locked, before walking into the diner through the backdoor.

I made my way to the employee locker room, where I punched in, and pulled my sweatshirt off. I stuffed it in my cubbyhole, and was about to put my purse in there too, when I felt it vibrate. My phone.

I licked my lips, praying that it wasn't what I thought it was, but with the way my stomach was clenching and the way my palms were suddenly sweating, it had to be...

With a deep breath, I opened my purse and fished my phone out. I flipped my phone open and groaned: The Replacement had texted me back:

_**Oh, Katie honey, is that was you think, that I'm an "insane stalker"? Oh, baby, I may be a stalker, and perhaps a little bit on the edge of crazy, but not insane and stalker together! Quite honestly, I'm insulted. As for why your business is my business? It isn't. But I'm making it my business. Does that answer your question? What do I mean when I say something is going to be happening very soon? Well, my dear girl, you'll find out very *soon*, now won't you? ;) And as for James Diamond? Can't you guess? Or have you forgotten your history with him? I certainly hope not, he was such an important part of your life, now wasn't he? You know what I mean by that, so put that brain to work! But don't worry, I'm keeping watch on him. You know, he doesn't seem quite as happy as he used to…I wonder if he's missing you? Btw, how did you like the newspaper article about your brother? Made him sound like a hero, didn't it? Like superman? Of course, you know better than anyone that he's more The Joker than anything else. Why else would he have abandoned you? So, will these answers satisfy you? I doubt it – you're never satisfied, now are you, Katie Knight? Well, nevertheless, these will have to do for now. You'll find out soon enough ;) Until then.** _

– _ **The Replacement.**_

So that was that. I stared at the text. James…The Replacement was watching James. He didn't seem very happy…but missing me? Hah! I doubt it. I couldn't flatter myself even considering that idea. I heard rumors about James every few weeks, and there were always pictures of him with some bimbo on his arm popping up on the internet. Believe me, he wasn't missing me. He probably didn't even remember my name. Why would he? I was sixteen and he was nineteen when he last saw me.

I shook my head, and this time didn't even bother replying to the text(s). I just shoved my phone into my purse and headed out into the main part of the restaurant.

It was nearly 12:30 when I finally walked in through the front door. My entire body felt sore and tired from the sixteen hour day, and all I wanted to do was drag myself into my room and collapse on my bed for the next six hours. Tomorrow night I would catch up on my sleep…

One of the lights was still on in the living room, and Mom was sitting on the couch, twisting her hands around. She looked up, startled, when I walked in through the front door.

"Oh, good, Katie, you're home," she said, sounding relieved.

"Really? I am? Great. I thought I was sleepwalking in the diner. Well, if I'm home, I'm going to bed. 'Night."

"Katie, wait."

There was an urgency in her voice that I had never heard before, and it was enough to make me stop in mid-step and turn towards her.

"Mom?"

"Katie, come sit down with me." She patted the cushion next to her, and without really thinking, I crossed the room and sank down onto the couch beside her.

"What is it, Mom?"

"Do you remember that letter I was reading when you left?"

"Yeah, the tax notice. Oh no! Mom, we're not losing the house, are we, because if we are – !"

"No, no, no, nothing like that," Mom said hurriedly.

"Oh, okay, then what? Did we forget to pay our bills?"

"No…Katie, it wasn't a tax notice."

"Then what was it?"

"It was a…well…an invitation of sorts…from someone who I've never met…well, see for yourself." She pulled a folded-up piece of paper from the pocket of her bathrobe and handed it to me.

The paper was simple, and the invitation, if you could even call it that, was typed out in elegant print:

_**Dear Jennifer and Katherine Knight,** _

_**You will not know who I am, but I can assure you, I know exactly who you are. I have been keeping tabs on you both for eight years, and have wanted to meet you for that lengthy period of time. And now I have been granted the opportunity to invite you on a cruise on the DLS Serpent, a cruise ship that my partner and I recently bought.** _

_**The DLS-S will depart from Santa Monica Pier on Friday, May 2** _ _**nd** _ _**, at 2 PM. Boarding begins at 12 PM. The DLS-S will sail around a specified route and will return on May 16** _ _**th** _ _**at the previously named pier. Your tickets are already bought and paid for, you just need to give your name to the boarding officer when you get on the ship. All expenses are paid for. Enclosed in the envelope are two airplane tickets for the 3:30 PM flight out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday. You will be staying in the Motel 6 on Dalton Drive in Los Angeles – accommodations have already been arranged. At LAX, you will also find a car that has been rented out in your name, Jennifer.** _

_**Jennifer, this is a message directly to you: If you decide against this cruise, I am warning you, your beautiful daughter and your handsome son – congrats on him scoring the winning goal for the Minnesota Wild, by the way! You must be so proud! I bet you would tell him if he would answer his phone – will be in danger – all of the boys will. I am watching you, and I can very easily arrange an…accident. I do not advise you to ignore this warning or threat, whichever you prefer. And the threat will be activated if you choose to involve the police.** _

_**Keep all of this in mind when you make your decision. I hope you make the right one.** _

_**Good luck and I hope to see you soon!** _

_**-The Replacement** _

"Mom…" I whispered. "Mom…we can't…This is…this is ridiculous!"

Mom didn't say anything: She just held up two plane tickets.

"Mom!"

"You read the letter," Mom said softly. "You kids are all in danger. This person…they knew that Kendall won't pick up his phone when we call."

"That doesn't mean squat!" I cried.

"It means enough. We're going. I won't risk your life, or Kendall's, or James's, Logan's, or Carlos's. Your are all too valuable to me."

"But we don't…we don't even know what the point of the cruise is!" I insisted. "For all we know, the ship will be loaded with explosives, or – or – the plain will come crashing down. Mom, it's a trap, it's so obvious… _Look_!"

I yanked my phone out and showed her the texts that I had received earlier.

"And this – this person managed to get into my car, they left a note with a newspaper clipping about Kendall's big win from last night, on the front passenger seat. Mom…"

Mom just pursed her lips stubbornly. "That's even more reason. This person knows more about us than we could have ever guessed or thought. For all we know, they're listening and watching right now."

"Mom…"

"We're going to do this. I'm going to call your school and let them know that you won't be able to finish the spring quarter classes. Perhaps I can get a slight refund. You go and try to get a couple of hours of sleep, and then we'll pack. We're leaving at ten AM."

"Mom…"

"That's my final decision."

"But – "

"Katie, please don't argue with me on this. I love you, I love all of you kids, and I'm doing this for you. Please don't fight me. We'll be okay, I promise honey, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Good. Now go and sleep, I'll wake you in a couple of hours. Good night baby girl."

"'Night Mom."

Mom reached for the landline so that she could call the college, and I got to my feet. I managed to get into my room without passing out, and I changed out of my work clothes into pajama bottoms and a soft cotton t-shirt that had been washed so many times that the sky blue of the material had faded into a pale blue.

I brushed my teeth and brushed out my hair, and was just pulling the covers back so that I could climb into bed when my phone lit up with a new text message. And I knew exactly who had sent it. With a deep breath, I reached over and flipped my phone open, opening the text:

_**See K-squared? That wasn't long to wait at all! See where a little patience can get you? On a flight out to LA for a 2 week cruise! Are you excited? I hope so, because I'm excited! Believe me, I've got so much planned for you, it's going to be so much fun – for me, that is. ;) You're right to be cautious, but your mom made the right decision; it would be beyond foolish to ignore my friendly invitation. But don't worry, you'll be getting what you deserve…Btw, what do you think of the nickname "K-squared"? James used to call you that, didn't he? Ahhhh, memories, memories. Gotta love 'em. –The Replacement.** _


	2. The Invitation (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter! :)

**Chapter 2 – The Invitation Part 2**

**(Wednesday, April 30** **th** **)**

**James's POV**

I was so bored. I hate album release parties. They're filled with CEOs and bosses and people in suits who I've never met and don't have much interest in meeting anyway.

The only good thing about this particular party was that: A) It was for me, and B) The food. Oh, and C) The dancers who Gustavo had hired for entertainment, and were clad in almost nothing. But honestly, they weren't worth much. Not to me anyway.

"Ah, there he is!" Griffin shouted as he approached me, clapping me on the shoulder with one hand and clutching a glass of wine in the other. "The young pop star who will be making me even more money than he already has!"

His daughter, Mercedes, smiled at me. "Congratulations on the single, by the way," she said with a flip of her long, curly blond hair. "Number one on iTunes, [Amazon](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/2/The-DLSS-Cruise), and on the top forty, and that's just here in the United States!"

I shrugged modestly. "Thanks Mercedes, but it's not really a [big deal](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/2/The-DLSS-Cruise). It's pure luck."

Griffin laughed. "Well, in that case, James, you must've caught a leprechaun and captured his pot of gold, because you've been bringing in nothing  _but_  luck!"

He patted my shoulder again and then walked away to go help himself to some of the fancy appetizers who's names I couldn't even begin to pronounce.

Mercedes grinned at me. "He thinks you're wonderful, and so do I." She took a step towards me, her blue eyes clouded slightly with the wine.

"Thanks again Mercedes," I said as I stepped back.

Another problem with parties like this one: Mercedes would drink a little too much wine, and would completely forget her policy about not [dating](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/2/The-DLSS-Cruise) guys who are prettier than her.

As much as I like Mercedes when she's sober, and as gorgeous as she is, I could never bring myself to really consider the possibility of sleeping with her. Maybe I would've eight years ago, but I wouldn't now. Besides, she's the boss's daughter. That's just wrong.

"Tell you what," Mercedes began again, her voice low and seductive, "why don't we take this conversation somewhere a  _little more private_?" She slid the strap of her royal blue cocktail dress off of her shoulder suggestively and bit her lower lip, looking up at me from under her eyelids.

Ah, what the hell.

We had both had a little too much wine, and this party was completely boring anyway. What could it hurt?

I could answer that, but I wasn't going to. Instead, I just returned her seductive smile.

"That sounds perfect."

Mercedes flashed me a wider grin and spun around, flouncing away. She glanced over her shoulder as if to say,  _Well? Are you coming?_

I hurried after her, hoping no one noticed our escape. She led me up a flight of stairs to an empty bedroom. We were in Gustavo's mansion, and he had about two million guest rooms. There was no way he was going to care about this one.

I closed the door behind me, and Mercedes launched herself at me, smashing her mouth to mine so hard that I felt our teeth clack together, but I ignored the jarring sensation. Her fingers were already fumbling with the buttons of my dress shirt and I was working on the zipper of her dress.

She ripped my shirt open and I shrugged out of it, just before I got her dress's zipper down. She stepped out of her dress and stood there, in just her strapless bra and thong. "I've always wanted to hook up with a famous pop star," she mumbled thickly as she reached for my mouth again. "And I've always wondered what you would be like, with a body and a voice like yours."

"Well, you're about to find out," I burbled back as I gently bit against her collarbone. She gasped, half from pain, half from pleasure.

"Ohhhh…James…"

I closed my eyes, pretending that it was Katie who was gripping my hair (probably messing it up – we would have words about that later) as I nipped along her neck and shoulder, that it was Katie who was moaning out my name.

I breathed through my mouth, refusing to inhale through my nose, because I knew if I did, I would smell Mercedes' Chanel perfume and the entire illusion would come crashing down around me.

And that's when my phone vibrated, completely ruining the moment.

I pulled away from her and made an apologetic face as she groaned and sauntered away, throwing herself on the king size bed.

"Sorry, just a second," I told her as I yanked my iPhone out of my pants' pocket to check the text message. What the fuck?

_**So James, congratulations! This must be such a proud night for you! You're about to bang the boss's daughter! You must be so thrilled! But dear oh dear, what would Katie say if she could see you now? Imagine those huge brown eyes of hers, so trusting, so innocent…Talk about painful. And she trusted you that night. Do you remember that night? I'm sure she does. I'm sure that night still haunts her. In fact, she probably considers it to be the biggest mistake of her life. But that wasn't my point. But congratulations on the album and your latest single! Number one in five countries! Your dream has come true…well, almost, anyway. And besides, it's all doubtlessly soured by this tedious party! But don't worry, your night is about to get a little more interesting (besides screwing Mercedes Griffin). You'll see what I mean soon. – The Replacement** _

Who the hell was The Replacement, and what did they want with me? And why did they have to bring Katie up? And "that night"…did that mean they knew…? Oh God…

And that's when my phone rang. I fumbled to answer it.

"Hello?"

"James, didn't you check your Caller ID? This is Kelly! A letter just arrived for you, it looks like an invitation. The delivery man said that it was marked  _urgent_ , so you better get your ass down here and open it!"

"Okay, I'll be down in a moment," I said. I hung up and turned back to Mercedes, who was still lying on the bed. "I'm sorry, they need me downstairs. I've gotta go."

Mercedes let out a heavy sigh. "Whatever."

I reached for my shirt and pulled it back on. "Are you coming?"

"Nope, I'm going to stay up here for awhile. Maybe I'll call Guitar Dude or someone to hang out with."

I rolled my eyes. She went through guys the same way I used to go through girls. I was probably the only guy at the Palmwoods who she hadn't had as a boyfriend at one point.

"Have fun," I called to her as I left the room.

"Oh, I will."

It was sad – I didn't even know if she was upset with me leaving, or if she simply didn't care. She was one of the only friends who I still had who I knew actually cared about me, but she was also a self-proclaimed slut, and she wasn't overly picky about who she slept with – especially when she was drunk. When she was younger, when we first met, she was a complete bitch – not that I cared. She was hot, and that was enough for me. But eventually Griffin started paying more attention to her, which was all she really wanted in the first place, and, well, she grew up. She's a lot nicer now than she used to be, although she definitely still has her Head-Bitch moments.

I walked down the stairs and reached the ballroom where the party was. Kelly and Gustavo were waiting for me, Kelly holding out an envelope. Gustavo was clutching an envelope himself, and the producer and the assistant were both frowning in confusion.

I took the envelope from Kelly wordlessly and examined it. It was plain and white with no return address. Well, that was interesting…I flashed back to the text I had gotten seconds before Kelly had called me; it had been a blocked number. And whoever had texted me had said that things were about to get very interesting…Could this be what they meant?

On the back was my name, Gustavo's address, and  _ **Cordially Invited**_  stamped under the state-part of the address. Okay then…

"We got one too," Gustavo added, holding up his envelope. It had both his and Kelly's names on it, but it was still his address, with the same stamp underneath, at the very bottom.

"It's probably just an invitation to join some church group or something," I said with an eye roll.

"Gustavo and I would have each gotten our own invitation then," Kelly pointed out, "and yours and mine would have  _never_  been addressed to Gustavo's mansion."

"True," I conceded. "All right, then I guess I better open this thing up."

I gingerly tugged the envelope open, as if expecting it to be laden with a bomb, and I guess I kind of was, after that mysterious text.

The flap came free, and no bomb exploded. Well, that was uplifting.

I pulled the letter out of the envelope and flipped it open. My mouth dropped as I read it:

_**Dear James Diamond,** _

_**You will not know who I am, but I can assure you, I know exactly who you are. I have been keeping tabs on you for eight years, and have wanted to meet you for that lengthy period of time. And now I have been granted the opportunity to invite you on a cruise on the DLS Serpent, a cruise ship that my partner and I recently bought.** _

_**The DLS-S will depart from Santa Monica Pier on Friday, May 2** _ _**nd** _ _**, at 2 PM. Boarding begins at 12 PM. The DLS-S will sail around a specified route and will return on May 16** _ _**th** _ _**at the previously named pier. Your ticket has already been bought and paid for, you just need to give your name to the boarding officer when you get on the ship. All expenses are paid for as well.** _

_**If you decide against this cruise, I am warning you, Katie Knight will be in danger. I am watching you, and I can very easily arrange an…accident for her, since I have been keeping my eye on her as well. I do not advise you to ignore this warning or threat, whichever you prefer. And the threat will be activated if you choose to involve the police.** _

_**Keep all of this in mind when you make your decision. I hope you make the right one.** _

_**Good luck and I hope to see you soon!** _

_**-The Replacement** _

I stared at the letter. Who. The. Hell was The Replacement, and who the fuck did they think they were, threatening Katie and using her against me? What sort of cruise was this anyway? It had to be some sort of set-up, if I was getting blackmailed into taking it. And besides, how did I know this –  _person_ , if they could even be called that – had access to Katie? They were probably just bluffing, hoping to scare me. They probably didn't even know what she looked like. It was probably just some oddly smart paparazzi scam to get me onto a cruise ship full of strippers so that they could take pictures and claim that my morals were crumbling to the ground. Well. I wasn't going to do it.

"Do you think they're serious?" Kelly whispered to Gustavo, and I turned towards them. They were huddled together, reading the letter that they had received themselves. Their faces were pale and their eyes were wide.

"How – how can they be?" Gustavo muttered back. "How can they possibly get to the Dogs and Katie?"

My head snapped up. "You've been invited on a – " I checked the letter – "a cruise on the DLS-S ship too? What kind of name is that anyway?  _DLS-S_?"

Gustavo snorted. "The same kind of name as  _The Replacement_. This person is FUCKED UP in the brain, that's all I can say. You're under heavy guard twenty-four/seven, Kendall and Katie are both under the protection of a bunch of insane dudes with hockey sticks, Carlos has a small army of bodyguards, and Logan is protected by whatever security they give to young doctors. There's no way  _The Replacement_  can get to any of you."

"Katie's under the protection of the hockey team," I said, gripping the letter even harder.

Gustavo's beady eyes snapped on me. "She was the one who was threatened in your letter?"

"I – yeah."

"Why?" Kelly asked, eyebrows slanting in confusion. "I mean, I know she's Kendall's little sister, but…why her?"

"She's special to me," I said hollowly. "She always has been."

Kelly nodded, although she still didn't look like she completely believed me.

I crumpled the letter into a ball in my hand. "Look, I'm gonna go. I'm tired, and to be completely honest, Gustavo, this party is boring. Tell Mercedes I'm sorry for what happened – I'd kind of like to know she'll speak to me again. See you both later."

And I hurried off with Gustavo yelling after me, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MERCEDES?"

Thankfully, nothing.

I chuckled to myself as I paused at the doors to his mansion and turned around to flash him a sly grin, just to get under his skin. Kendall used to be so good at driving Gustavo nuts…Damn, I missed him just as much as I missed Katie.

After Big Time Rush broke up, Kendall, Katie, and Mrs. Knight moved back to Minnesota, and the next thing I knew, Kendall was being announced as the new center for the Minnesota Wild. Logan was in medical school, and according to reports (Griffin and Gustavo still kept tabs on him, for "safety purposes") he graduated in record time, and is now working at Minneapolis General Hospital. Carlos turned his love of stunts into a reality TV show. It's a bit like Fear Factor, where people basically just do stupid things that they're afraid of. Of course, they're always wearing protective gear and stuff, but I've seen a couple of episodes of it and its flipping crazy. I would not want to go on it. But Carlos is a fantastic host, and he's crazy and energetic enough himself to get the contestants pumped for their potential scars (both physical and mental).

And then there was me. I had been the only one out of us four Big Time Rush boys to actually want to become a singer, so I signed contract with Gustavo to continue on as a solo artist. I released an album nine months after the band split up, and I released a second album a year later. This third album was going to drop in three weeks, and I was proud of it. Each record felt more and more honest than the last. The first one sounded like the main purpose was to be played at a party, but the second one had a lot more depth. Plus, I switched from dance pop back to my roots as a pop/rock artist, with a little R&B thrown in on some songs. This third one, though, had me opening up about stuff that had happened before Big Time Rush split up – all a bit shadowed, of course, because I really didn't want to point fingers or go into detail about some stuff, such as the thing with Katie, how I had betrayed her; we all had our problems, and I guess they're the main reason why we went our separate ways.

The sad part though is that I haven't seen any of them since the morning the Knights left for the airport. Logan had flown out the night of the last big fight, and Carlos left the same morning as Kendall, Katie, and Mrs. Knight. Reports said that Logan had had absolutely no contact with any of them either, and when asked about Big Time Rush in interviews, Carlos would just blow the questions off. Kendall had made it very clear in one infamous interview that no one was ever to ask him about what had happened to tear us apart, and as far as he was concerned, Big Time Rush had been a part of someone else's life, someone else's life that wasn't his.

In-between recording songs, I had begun an acting career – I had been in two action movies to date. I was also a model for Cuda, something that I had wanted since I had first discovered expensive hygiene. Girls flocked to me, always willing, and I could afford pretty much anything. Life was good…except that I missed my friends, Katie, and Mrs. Knight.

I headed out to where my car was parked – a 2011 red Mustang – and slid in. I started up the ignition and pulled out of the driveway and onto the main street. I drove the fifteen minutes back to my house – a mansion really – and parked in the driveway. I headed into the dark house, dropping my car keys on the small table in the entrance hall, and proceeded upstairs to my bedroom. My entire house was furnished in black, white, and chrome, and my bedroom was no different. The bed was also king size, although lately there really hadn't been much point in having such a large bed, and covered in a black and white checkered bedspread with matching pillows. There was a black leather couch up against one wall, and a 42 inch flat screen TV (I had a 102 inch plasma TV downstairs).

I sighed as I began to unbutton my shirt. The last half hour had been insane, and the entire night had been draining. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and stay there for the next week or so. That sounded like a pretty good idea…

I glanced at the digital clock on my nightstand (black, of course) and saw that it was 1:05 in the morning. Not as late as it could have been, but that didn't change the fact that I was exhausted.

I had just gotten my shirt completely unbuttoned and was about to shrug it off when a small stack of glossy paper on my bedspread caught my eye. I snatched the papers up and my stomach flipped over and over about twenty times: The top one was a picture of Katie. It was the style of an old Polaroid picture, trimmed in blank white. It didn't look like she was posing for the picture, it was like the pictures of celebrities that showed up in tabloid magazines. Only she wasn't a celebrity…

She was leaving what looked like one of the buildings on the community college campus in Chasm Lake...It was windy, and her hair was blowing slightly. Her face was turned slightly away from the camera, and she was squinting in the sunlight.

The next picture was of her at…was that her car? It was an old Honda Civic, really crappy looking. What the hell? Why hadn't Kendall bought her a new one? He could definitely afford it, if the rumors of the Minnesota Wild's big win last night were true…

Katie was sticking her key into the driver door's lock, looking ahead, eyes not completely focused, her hair still blowing around slightly.

The third picture was of her at the front door of…her old house? She was unlocking the door, and this time the photographer only got her back, but it was still definitely her.

The fourth and final picture was the one that scared me the worst. She was in her bedroom, at her desk. The angle wasn't the best, and I had the disturbing feeling that the photographer had taken the picture through her bedroom window. Someone had gotten that close to her haven, someone had invaded her privacy that much…The thought made me want to throw something at my TV.

At the top of the picture was…today's – well, yesterday's – date, and underneath the picture were scribbled words:  _ **I had a feeling you would need some convincing, and I was right, now wasn't I? But keep in mind, Diamond, I can get to little Miss Katie very easily, just as easily as I can get to you. I got into her car, and left a newspaper clipping about Kendall Knight's victory on her passenger seat. What? You thought that she and Jennifer Knight were living with Kendall? They haven't seen him in person for over three years! So no, Diamond, she isn't safe, and she never was, and neither are you, although your boss seems to need some convincing, now doesn't he? Keep in mind, Diamond, I could get into your house, and I could get into Katie's car. I hope you've changed your mind, because it would be such a shame to hurt Katie's pretty face. –The Replacement.**_

I was shaking. How…why…what…?

I had to get in touch with Gustavo. He needed to know about this.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, but discovered that the signal was jammed. What the hell? I had never had problems with cell phone service before…unless someone was electronically jamming the signal…Shit.

I yanked my shirt back on and raced back downstairs with the pictures in hand. I snatched my keys up, and ran outside, remembering long enough to lock my door (not that there was much point if The Replacement could get inside), and climbed back into my car, and started the ignition.

I drove like a maniac on sugar back to Gustavo's mansion. Just as I pulled into the driveway, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket…the signal wasn't blocked anymore?

I ripped it out and saw that I had a new message: _ **So you've figured out the danger, huh? Well, your boss obviously hasn't. Which is why if you're not out of that car in thirty seconds flat, you're going to go up in flames with it. –The Replacement.**_

I stared at the message, trying to comprehend what they meant…

…And then it hit me…

I snatched up the pictures, threw myself out of the car, and made a mad dash for Gustavo's house, pounding furiously on the door, completely forgetting that it was probably unlocked.

The door swung open to reveal Gustavo, Kelly, Griffin, and Mercedes, just as there was a BOOM…and my beloved Mustang exploded.

The explosion knocked me off of my feet, and I crumbled to the ground with a yell, hand raised in front of my face to block the heat.

I watched, eyes wide with absolutely no comprehension, as my car burned slowly, the metal crackling as it melted.

"Oh my God," I heard Kelly murmur as she knelt beside me.

"James, what happened?" Mercedes asked, sounding absolutely horrified as she kneeled down on my other side, hand on my shoulder.

All I could do was shake my head wordlessly.

Had someone just tried to kill me?

"The Replacement?" Griffin asked softly, and we all looked up at him.

"What's The Replacement?" Mercedes asked worriedly.

"Someone who's blackmailing all four of us," Gustavo answered, sounded shaken.

I looked up at him. Wait…Griffin?

"I got a letter too, a little while ago," Griffin answered my silent question. "I'm being threatened onto the DLS-S cruise ship."

Oh God. Griffin too?

"Mercedes, take James upstairs and get him some chamomile tea to help calm him down, he looks pretty shaken," Kelly said softly.

Mercedes nodded without a word and gripped my arm. With Gustavo's help, she managed to drag me up onto my feet. "Come on," she murmured, arm around my waist.

Everything was blurry, nothing was in focus, and I felt dizzy, as if I had been spinning in circles for the past five minutes, instead of watching my car blow up and just barely escaping with my life.

Mercedes led me through the entrance hall and upstairs, back to the bedroom we had been in earlier.

"Here," she said softly, gently pushing me down into a sitting position on the bed. "I'll go get you that tea. I'll be back in a little while."

My head was still spinning, and I could feel bile rising in my throat…I managed to stumble to my feet, and, leaning against the wall, managed to feel my way to the bathroom. I somehow managed to get the toilet lid up, and collapsed to my knees, a half second before everything that I had ate and drank earlier decided to give an encore performance.

I could feel my stomach lurching, my muscles contracting painfully with each round of vomiting. My throat burned, my head ached, and sweat dripped into my already bleary eyes.

I don't know how long I knelt there in front of the toilet, vomiting my guts out, but I'm guessing it was awhile, because the next thing I knew, someone was kneeling down beside me, wiping my forehead off with a cold washcloth.

"Oh James…" That wasn't Mercedes' voice…

My vision was still hazy, but I could make out a familiar girl with long, straight blonde hair, brown eyes, and a slim figure: Jo Taylor. What was she doing back? As far as I knew, she hadn't been in the United States since we were seventeen.

"Jo…" I managed to get out. My voice sounded horrible, hoarse and raspy.

"I'm here, James, I'm here." She swiped the washcloth over my cheeks. I could feel the water dripping down my face, pleasantly refreshing, yet nauseatingly cold at the same time.

"Oh...fu – " before I could get the entire cussword out, I was retching into the toilet once again. This time was weaker and didn't hurt quite as bad as it had, and I knew I was close to being done.

I leaned back on my heels and Jo wiped my face again. My vision began to un-blur itself, and I could make out her scared, yet sympathetic expression.

"How do you feel?" she asked quietly.

"Crappy," I answered. "But I'll live…I think."

She smiled weakly. "Are you – are you done?"

I nodded. "I think so…The dizziness is starting to fade."

She didn't ask what I meant, instead she just turned her head and called, "Camille, could you help me in here?"

"Camille's here too?" I mumbled out.

"Yeah, we both got  _invitations_  from The Replacement too, and they said we could find you and Gustavo and Kelly and Griffin here. We just didn't think we'd find the remains of your burnt car here as well."

Camille walked into the room, her dark hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just help me help him up? He should probably rinse out his mouth and brush his teeth, and since this is a guest room, there's probably a toothbrush and toothpaste in one of the drawers."

Camille nodded and she and Jo together lifted me to my feet. "Mercedes got back with the tea, but she won't come in – she said the smell of vomit makes her nauseous."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Well, it doesn't do much for my stomach either, but you don't see me cowering in the next room like a five-year-old girl."

Camille gave her a reproachful look, before letting me go so that she could begin searching through the drawers underneath the sink. She quickly came up with some small paper cups, a toothbrush, and a tube of Colgate toothpaste.

With Jo's help, I managed to get over to the sink. I turned the faucet on and bent over, rinsing my mouth out with icy cold water until the worst of the burning sensation was gone. I readied the toothbrush and slid some toothpaste on the bristles before sticking it in my mouth. I took my time, trying to hit the back corners of my mouth, doing my best to get every little chunk of vomit out of my gums, just wanting the taste gone.

I finally finished, and spat and rinsed another five times before wiping my mouth with a towel. Jo and Camille gripped my arms tightly, supporting me, and together we managed to get back into the bedroom.

They let me fall onto the bed, and Mercedes stepped forward, cupping a mug of tea in her hands. She passed it over to me and I took a sip. It was warm, on the side of hot, and sweet. It slid down my sore throat muscles and settled in my now empty stomach.

"So you two got invitations too?" I confirmed, feeling the comfort of the warm mug against my hands.

Both girls nodded. "Yeah, this evening, and then we both got texts saying that if we wanted proof of what this – person – could do, than we better come here. And I guess we got our proof," Camille explained.

I turned to look at Jo. She was older, more mature, than she had been when I had last seen her. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, and she wore little to no makeup.

"Why are you back in the U.S?" I asked. "I mean – that didn't come out right. I just – I thought you were somewhere in Europe."

Jo shrugged. "I was. But production on the movie got halted due to some problems with the budget, so I came back out here to spend some time with Cam and my older friends, and…Stephanie's here by the way, she's downstairs. She's looking for clues in our invitations – she got one too, did I mention that? – for clues as to who this person could be, but she'll be up soon…"

As she said that, the door opened and Stephanie King walked in, her dark brown hair swinging down around her shoulders. "I couldn't find anything," she announced, crossing her arms angrily. "But I'd kind of like to know who the hell thought they could do something like this."

"When did you get your invitation?" I croaked out.

"Earlier this evening, along with tickets for the first flight out of New York. I called Jo and Camille since I kept in touch with them after I moved back to the Big Apple, they picked me up, and things just kind of snowballed from there."

I nodded, feeling the rest of my strength beginning to leave me.

"Oh, by the way, I picked this up – I guess you dropped it when you were puking your guts out." Camille slapped my phone in my hand.

I activated it to check the time, and felt my stomach lurch a bit as I saw I had four new messages. The girls exchanged meaningful looks.

"Do you think it's from The Replacement?" Stephanie asked, biting her lip. "I got one before I got my invitation."

"So did I," Camille added.

"And I," Jo confirmed.

"Only one way to find out," I said, and with my stomach roiling, I opened the text:

_**Sorry about the car, Diamond, but your boss wasn't going to cooperate unless he realized how easily I could get so close to you. I think he's convinced now though. And man, it's a good thing you checked your phone, otherwise you might not have gotten out of the car in time – I would have hated to blow you up. Btw, how did you like the pictures of Katie I left you? She looks good, doesn't she? A bit sad, but good. But don't worry, you'll see for yourself – all of you Big Time Rush boys will! I'm seeing a nice little reunion for you all up ahead, won't that be fun? –The Replacement.** _


	3. Double Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter :)

**Chapter 3 – Double Warning**

**(Thursday, May 1** **st** **)**

**Katie's POV**

Mom woke me up after at about six in the morning, eyes wide and cautious. "I've made coffee and there's a pile of toast on the table."

"Thanks," I mumbled as I pushed the covers back and slipped out of bed. I managed to get into the bathroom to brush my teeth, comb out my hair, and wash my face, before stumbling out to the kitchen. Mom had the TV in the living room turned on to the early morning news, and the coffee maker was hissing and spitting.

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but it had taken me ages to fall asleep, so I was running on about two-and-a-half hours of sleep; I needed the caffeine.

I poured myself a cup, stirred in some milk and sugar, and took a cautious sip, nearly burning the skin off of my tongue in the process.

"Do you want to get into the shower first, or should I?" Mom asked as she drank from her coffee mug.

"You can," I replied, still half-asleep. "I'm still trying to accept that I'm awake."

Mom chuckled, but the smile dropped off her face as the news anchorman announced, "…Early this morning, pop superstar and action movie star James Diamond just narrowly escaped death when his Mustang exploded on mega-producer Gustavo Rocque's property. Diamond was reportedly at Rocque's for his album release party, although [reports](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/3/The-DLSS-Cruise) say that he left for his home earlier that evening. The reasons for his return are yet unclear, although there are rumors that a blackmailer placed a bomb in the trunk of Diamond's car. Diamond is uninjured, although shaken, and has yet to make an official statement, although he did tweet this morning that he was grateful for everyone's support and he was fine, just shocked…Diamond has been making headline news with his latest single skyrocketing on the charts…"

Mom muted the TV and turned to look at me. "Katie? Sweetie? Are you okay?"

I felt my legs give out from under me and I collapsed in a chair. What would be the easiest way to answer? Um, no.

"Someone tried to kill him," I mumbled out. "Someone blew up his car. There was a blackmailer. Oh my God…"

Mom bit her lip. "They don't know that for certain, only James and probably Gustavo and Kelly do."

The screen changed from a close up of the news anchorman to a shot of the front of Gustavo's mansion. The camera zoomed in on the blackened skeleton of James's car, and then cut to a shot of two girls holding on to…James.

My stomach dropped down to the floor as I realized just who I was looking at.

James Diamond slowly walked around the burnt rubble that used to be his car with a look of pure, unadulterated shock on his face, as Jo Taylor and Camille Roberts clutched him, apparently supporting him. Stephanie King followed behind with Mercedes Griffin, while Gustavo Rocque, Kelly Wainwright, and Arthur Griffin trailed behind the other two girls.

Mom un-muted the TV as the camera flashed LIVE, letting us know that this was actually happening while we watched. The sun had yet to rise in LA, and it was dark, but with the spotlights from the police cruisers that were parked everywhere, it was easy to make out the faces and the actions.

"I just – I can't – this makes no sense – " James was stuttering out, running a hand over his unshaven face. His hair was a mess, and his face was pale under his tan. I felt my heart stop as I heard his voice. I had forgotten how smooth and velvety it was, even when he could barely get the words out. Oh God…the memories…

Jo and Camille gripped James even firmer as he stumbled a bit. "He's in shock, we all are," Jo assured the cameras, brown eyes huge and scared.

Mom sighed and shut the TV off. "I think that's all we really need to see."

I nodded silently, not completely sure what to say or do.

"Eat," Mom ordered me, pointing at the plate of toast in the middle of the table. "You need your strength and energy, we have a long two weeks ahead of us."

Ain't that the truth?

Mom headed for the only bathroom in the house, so that she could shower, and I grabbed a piece of the sourdough toast, loading it with strawberry jam and biting into it.

I couldn't believe what I had just seen. James's car had blown up. He had nearly been killed. He was an absolute wreck. His hair was a mess. I had heard his speaking voice for the first time in three years. Jo and Stephanie were back in LA. Why were they even back on the west coast? I had thought Jo was still in England, and Stephanie in New York city.

I managed to choke the rest of my toast down, and made my way to my room, considering maybe getting started on packing for the next two weeks. I knew this cruise was a trap, what else could it be? But Mom was determined that the only way to keep me and the guys safe was to be go on the cruise. Yeah, that had worked well for James, hadn't it?

My phone sat innocently on my nightstand, but I wondered if The Replacement knew I had seen the news.

I activated my phone and my stomach flipped over: New messages.

**Katie– I know you're still not completely convinced that the cruise would be the best thing. But believe me, if you have any plans for escape, think again. Diamond's car exploding just seconds after he escaped was a warning to Gustavo, who thought defying me would be a smart move. I got to Diamond, and I can get to you and your mom just as easily, remember? You wouldn't want your mom to be hurt, now would you? –The Replacement. P.S –Must've been nice seeing him again, hmmm? And you'll be seeing him tomorrow! I bet you're excited ;)**

Yep, The Replacement knew I had seen the thing about James's car.

But…this made no sense. The Replacement had slid a newspaper article into my car mere hours before planting the bomb in James's car, and then was back here in Minnesota again, and spying on me. How…how was that even possible? The answer was simple: It wasn't. Unless…there was more than one person involved in this scheme…But was that even important at this point?

No, I decided. No, it's not. I just need to focus on keeping Mom and me alive for the next two weeks. And that's when it hit me – James and Gustavo were going to be on the cruise as well. Oh no…But did that mean that my brother and Logan and Carlos would be on the cruise as well? And Kelly? Maybe Griffin? And Jo, Camille, and Stephanie, all together, helping James. Oh my God. This was a freaking reunion. It would also be a bloodbath once everyone saw each other again. There had been waaay too much hurt and betrayal for anyone to let anything slide. Shit. We were all screwed.

Mom and I left for the airport at 9:50, neither of us talking much. We got to the airport at around noon, and managed to get through airport security. We had lunch at McDonald's, before plopping down in the seats at the terminal, waiting for boarding.

The flight was fine, if uneventful, which, considering it's an  _airplane_ , is a good thing. After all, when the planes were hijacked on September 11th, it was probably the most eventful flight in every passenger's life. It was also their last one. RIP, 9/11 victims.

Sure enough, there was a rental car waiting for us at LAX, and we headed off for the Motel 6 that we were supposed to be staying at.

I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Twenty-four hours ago I was doing my homework in my bedroom in Chasm Lake, Minnesota, and had just gotten one of the first texts from The Replacement. Now here I was, sitting in a rental car, speeding through LA, blinking in the sunlight, while there was at least one maniac out there who was bringing us all together for some reason, probably a completely sick one, because why else would we all be getting threatened? Why else would James's car have blown up?

The Motel 6 room was just like pretty much every other Motel 6 room. A TV, two full-sized beds, the usual.

"It's so nice to be back out in LA, in the bright sunshine," Mom said, sounding almost cheerful, as she dropped her bags on the floor of the room.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied. "Although considering the reason we're out here…You know, the whole we're-

probably-going-to-end-up-on-a-reenactment-of-the-Titanic-cruise thing…"

"That doesn't mean we can't at enjoy ourselves," Mom reprimanded me sternly.

"I guess…"

The rest of the day mainly consisted of us recharging from the events of the past twenty-four hours. We just laid on our beds, watching TV, not talking too much because, honestly, what was there to talk about? I had no idea who The Replacement could be, and Mom didn't seem to know either. And no matter how much I insisted that the cruise was sure to be a trap for us, that there was no way we were going to get off of the ship, if we even made it to the DLS-S (what did the second  _S_  even stand for anyway?), she wouldn't budge. I guess I could see why. After seeing the ruined car on TV, it was pretty obvious that The Replacement was beyond dangerous, but that didn't mean we should just lay down belly-up and let them do whatever they wanted to us. They were just a deranged bully with access to explosives, nothing more. If we took away their blocked number and their bombs, we'd probably end up with some skinny kid with a bad case of acne who was using fear and mind games to control us.

But talking Mom into that wasn't so easy.

At about six, we finally got up, changed out of our jeans and sweatshirts and into shorts and t-shirts (completely different climate), and headed out to dinner, before shopping for whatever extra stuff we needed that we hadn't had time to grab.

We returned back to the motel around nine, watched TV for a couple more hours, and then climbed into bed. I smiled into the darkness. I hadn't gotten any more texts from The Replacement, no freaky messages, no nothing. But then again…tomorrow was the day we would be in  _their_  domain, on  _their_  turf, at  _their_  mercy. Who knew what would happen? Who knew if we would even survive the day?

Needless to say, those happy thoughts did pretty much nothing for a peaceful night's sleep. I tossed and turned for hours once again before exhaustion finally took a hold of me and I drifted off.

I was shaken awake at eight-o-clock the next morning by my mom, who looked just as tense and scared as she had the night before.

"Katie, this was left outside the door," she hissed at me, eyes huge.

She was holding a printed copy of what looked like an online blog. The title?  _ **James Diamond's Car On Fire – Literally**_.

I snorted. "Clever."

"Katie… _this_  was left outside our  _door_! It's a reminder! It's a warning!"

"Mom, chill. We're already going through with this stupid thing. I guess The Replacement is a little insecure and isn't as  _all-knowing_  as they'd like us to think they are."

"Well, check your phone anyway."

I struggled out of bed and went to my purse, where my phone was. I pulled it out and felt my stomach somersault as I saw that I had a new message. It had been sent just moments before, like the person knew Mom had just gotten the article…Oh God, that was creepy.

"It's probably nothing," I said quickly.

"Probably," Mom agreed.

I opened the text and my jaw dropped: **So Katie, so far you and your mom have cooperated. Nice job, and smart move! But your brother isn't cooperating at all. Or…he was, but now that he's out here in LA, he's starting to get...shall we say…stage fright. So stay tuned to the news for the next few hours, because there should be something about Jo Taylor. Oh, but first you have to find a TV, because yours isn't going to work after your hotel room blows up in five minutes. Hope you get this text in time! –The Replacement. P.S –don't call 911, they won't be able to help, plus, I'm jamming your phones' signals.**

"Mom, we have to get out of here, now!"

"What – why?"

"Our hotel room is going to blow up in five minutes!"

I was already yanking jeans and a t-shirt on, and Mom followed suit. We grabbed our bags, and scurried out of there as fast as we could.

Mom immediately pulled her phone out, but cussed vilely. "The signal's blocked!"

I checked mine and wasn't surprised to see that mine was jammed too. "So's mine. The Replacement said that they were jamming our signals, but…"

"We have to do something!" Mom cried. "There – there might be people in the rooms on either side of ours!"

"I – "

And that's when the room that just ten minutes before I had been sleeping in, blew up.

Mom and I looked at each other.

"I think it's too late," I whispered.

"I think you're right. Come on, we have to get out of here. And let's see if we can find a TV."

* * *

**James's POV**

**(Friday, May 2** **nd** **)**

"So, everything's packed, it just needs to be loaded in Gustavo's car," Jo reported as she double-checked one of her suitcases.

I nodded, watching her make sure she hadn't forgotten anything for the cruise.

"Jo," Stephanie said with an eye roll, "I'm sure you aren't going to be needing a winter parka for the cruise."

"Well, you never know," Jo retorted defensively. "We don't know what route the DLS-S is going to be taking. What if it goes up north? Then it would be good to have warm clothes."

Camille frowned, biting at her lip. "That makes sense. Damn. I've gotta go buy a heavy coat."

I snorted. "And where are you going to find one of those in Los Angeles, the sunshine capital?"

Camille gave me a sly smile as she pulled her Blackberry out. "I have my sources."

"By the way, how are you just going to disappear off the face of the earth for the next two weeks?" Stephanie wanted to know, looking from Camille to me. "I mean,  _you're_  on a hit TV show and  _your_  third album is about to drop. You're both two very popular celebrities. So how is this going to go down?"

Camille shrugged. "The show's on hiatus right now."

"And Gustavo's sent out an announcement that I need some time off, so I'll be out of the public eye for a couple of weeks," I added. "Gustavo is apparently also taken a break, and Griffin is retreating to one of his many estates to work through some business problems."

Stephanie nodded, impressed. "Sounds like you guys have this all figured out."

"Ah, we're probably missing something, we just haven't caught it yet," I replied modestly.

"I knew it!" Camille shrieked, not paying any attention to Stephanie's and my conversation. "James, how could you forget about sporting goods stores? Snowboarding? Skiing?"

I clapped my hand to my head. "Crap, I completely blanked on that. Wow, that's pretty bad. Sorry Cami, I'm just…my mind's just kind of jumbled."

"All of our minds are jumbled," Jo assured me.

Camille smiled at us, before grabbing her purse. "I'm heading off to that store now. I'll be back soon."

"Be careful!" I called after her. "Check your car for bombs before you get in!"

"Will do." Camille left the room, a couple of minutes later, I heard her car start up and pulled out of Gustavo's driveway. We were all staying at Gustavo's mansion because it was the one place that The Replacement hadn't completely penetrated – all three girls had discovered pictures of Kendall, Logan, and Carlos (depending on the girl, of course) with a threatening note, although so far there hadn't been any more exploding cars. That much was a relief, but after my car had blown up last night, it felt like there was just something hanging over our heads.

Jo shifted a little uncomfortably as she tugged at her blonde hair. "So…um…I heard about Big Time Rush's breakup," she said softly. "It was pretty well publicized. It sounded really...um…"

"The word you're looking for is  _disastrous_."

"Yeah, I guess I am. I'm sorry. Have you – you guys aren't friends any longer, are you?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen any of them since a couple of days after the last fight."

Stephanie bit her lip. "What was the fight about?"

I looked over at her. "We just all wanted different things. One thing led to another and everything just kind of…BOOM! Right in our faces."

"But from everything I've heard, you're all successful now," Stephanie insisted. "Especially you."

I gave her a long look. "That doesn't mean I'm happy."

"No, I guess not."

There was the sound of a phone vibrating and Jo pulled hers out. She glanced at it, frowning. "That's weird. It's a text from The Replacement. It says ' _Duck_ '. What the hell does that mean?"

My mind went into overdrive the way Logan's used to, and in that second, I could have told you exactly what was going to happen. "It means to duck!" and I grabbed both girls and yanked them down to the floor, just as there was a CRACK and the bedroom window glass shattered, pierced by a bullet.

There was another CRACK and the sound of more gunshots discharging, aimed at the bedroom window. It was surreal to see the bullets hitting the wall, bouncing off, scraping paint and taking chunks of plaster with them.

The door burst open, amidst the gunfire, and Gustavo and Griffin both came running in.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Gustavo roared, and Jo, Stephanie, and I all looked up at him from where we were lying flat on the floor, out of the range of ricocheting bullets.

"GET DOWN!" I yelled at him. "SOMEONE'S SHOOTING AT THE WINDOW!"

Neither man needed to be told twice. They both threw themselves down onto the ground with yelps of terror as more bullets crashed into the room.

There was a pause, and then there was the biggest crash yet, and the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. There was silence. Dead silence.

I pushed myself up onto my knees and crawled forward. There was a rock a few feet away from the window, sitting in the midst of an explosion of glass. And taped to the rock…

Carefully, very carefully, I detached the rock from the sharp edges of glass and gently tore the paper off,

handing it to Jo.

"I think this is for you."

Jo stared at me. "How do you know?"

"Because you're the one who got the text that said to 'duck'."

Jo didn't reply; instead, she just unfolded the paper and read through it, face going white and eyes becoming teary. "Damn it," she whispered. "Just…damn it."

"What? What is it?" Stephanie asked, sounding scared. She crept over to Jo and put her arm around the blonde. "Jo, what did the note say?"

Jo cleared her throat and read aloud in a mocking tone, "'I really hope you got my text in time, because otherwise, well, there's really no point to this message. I bet you're wondering for the reason for the shooting. Well, you can pinpoint that to your ex-boyfriend, one Mr. Kendall Knight. He's here in LA, but he began to get second thoughts, and he needed some convincing. Oh, and there should be something on the news soon enough about Katie and Jennifer Knight, just to let you know – I thought he would need even more convincing than Gustavo did. –The Replacement.'"

I felt my fists clench and my eyes narrow in anger. "That bastard. That sick bastard."

Griffin sighed. "I suppose we need to do our part and report this and let the news vans come by and everything."

For once, he didn't want the publicity. I couldn't say I blamed him. Who wanted publicity for something like this?

"We should also go see what The Replacement did to Katie and Jen," Gustavo added. He paused, then glanced around. "Where's Camille?"

"She went out to get a heavy coat," Jo said, wiping her eyes. "God, I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine," I assured Jo. "Why don't you call her?"

"Yeah…I think I will."

We all headed downstairs to where the plasma TV was, while Jo dialed Camille's number. Camille answered, and a look of relief flooded across Jo's face at the sound of her friend's face. She explained quickly what had happened, but I tuned her out within seconds, because of what had just come up on the news.

"…Breaking news…Early this morning, there was an explosion in a Motel 6 on Dalton Drive…the room was reportedly rented out to Jennifer Knight and her daughter. There is no sign of either woman, and authorities suspect that they may be the ones responsible for the demolishment of the room. Several fellow guests were injured…"

Gustavo flicked the TV off. "Well, at least we know that they're out here in LA."

"And they made it out safely," Jo said softly, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I hadn't even realized that I was hunched up and shaking until she and Stephanie both pulled me into a hug. "James, they're okay. It was just a warning to Kendall, that's all. They're fine."

I hugged them back. "I know. I know. They are. They have to be."

Katie. Oh man, please let her be okay…PLEASE…!

My phone vibrated in my pocket and both girls pulled back at the feeling. I raised my hands. "I swear, that wasn't my body, that was my phone."

Stephanie laughed shrilly, the shock of being shot at apparently beginning to hit her. "I hope not, because otherwise I would have to kick you in your pretty-boy ass."

"You better check your phone, make sure it's not another text telling us that we…I don't know…need to evacuate the house because The Replacement managed to cause a gas leak," Jo told me.

I nodded and pulled my phone from my pocket, opening the texts:  **Oh, James, are you worried about Katie? What would Kendall say if he knew? I bet you're blushing like crazy right now…oh, that's right, I forgot – you have rosacea. Of course. Anyway, don't feel too embarrassed, she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the segment about you and your car on the news. She nearly fainted, so she obviously still cares about you. Isn't that just so sweet? And yes, she and Jen Knight are alive. They escaped, though narrowly. Feeling relieved? You should be. –The Replacement.**

Something was wrong with the texts, something just didn't quite mesh, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

The front door swung open and Camille rushed in, carrying a large shopping bag bulging with her new coat.

"Cami!" Jo cried, leaping to her feet and running to Camille. She threw her arms around her, and Camille held her as Jo burst into tears, her body shaking ferociously with sobs. The horror of what had happened had just hit her.

Stephanie stood up and walked over to Jo and Camille and wrapped her arms around them, crying quietly as well, and I followed suit, pulling all three girls into my embrace while they shook with tears.

Gustavo and Griffin just sat there on the couch in stunned silence, as if they had never seen crying girls before.

"Katie's alive," I called the two shocked men. "The Replacement let me know in the text – " And that's when it hit me. The Replacement knew we had just seen the news. The Replacement knew I was freaking out about Katie. Oh my God.

"We have to get the hell out of here now!" I shouted, startling the girls enough for them to stop crying. "The Replacement…they're listening in, they're probably somewhere in here right now. We have to go now!"

Within minutes, we had rounded up Kelly and Mercedes, said goodbye to the latter, and were throwing our luggage into Griffin's stretch limo and climbing in, on our way to the Santa Monica pier.

* * *

**Katie's POV**

I sat in a small burger joint in Santa Monica, not far from the pier, chowing down on a cheeseburger, and staring at the small TV screen above the counter. A baseball game was playing, but there was no hint of anything concerning Jo. Maybe things hadn't gone the way The Replacement had thought they would.

Just as I was thinking that though, Mom gasped. I had looked down for a split second, and when I glanced back up, I saw a close-up of a familiar mansion, partway hidden under the words:  _ **Breaking News**_.

"Can you turn it up?" Mom called to the cashier.

The cashier didn't say anything, but turned the volume up so that we could hear what the news caster was saying.

"…Just an hour ago, someone shot a rifle gun at a guest room window at mega-producer Gustavo Rocque's mansion…No suspects at this point…No wounded…Early this morning, James Diamond's car was blown up on Rocque's property..."

I dropped my head into my hands. "There it is. Jo must've been in the mansion and someone shot at her."

Mom nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Kendall's POV**

I looked from the screen of the TV down to the screen of my phone. No way…no…no…The Replacement had nearly killed both Katie  _and_  Jo? How? How could they do something like that to me? To my baby sister and my ex-girlfriend?

_She's not my baby sister anymore, I told myself. She chose Mom._

But that didn't mean that I didn't love her anymore. I would always love her. I reread the text. It was pretty simple: _ **So Kendork, congratulations! You nearly got Katie and Jo killed. Tell me: How does that make you feel? –The Replacement.**_

Sick. That's how it made me feel. Fucking sick. Just like this game The Replacement was playing. Imagine, using people against other people just to get them to do what you want. What kind of person did that? I'll answer that: A really sick one.

But I knew I had no choice. According to the news, Katie had almost been blown up in her motel room, and Jo had almost gotten her head shot off. And then there was James…I'll be honest, I missed my friends, but after everything we said and did…it was hard to forgive and forget. But James had almost been killed too, his car had been blown up. I didn't know why, but I figured that if The Replacement had almost killed Katie and Jo because I was refusing to get on the DLS-S ship, then someone else has refused and that car bomb was to scare that person.

I had no choice. I had to get on that ship. And I knew I would have to face Katie and Mom and James, because, well, they were obviously involved in this too. And Jo…I would be seeing her again. And Logan and Carlos? What about them? Had they been blackmailed as well?

Why was The Replacement bringing us back together for a reunion on a freaking cruise? That seemed pretty expensive. Why not just rent out a steakhouse and hope that we all showed up? Wouldn't that be so much easier?

So much easier, yes. Sadistically fun? No.

I glanced at the time on my phone and saw that it was nearly noon already. I had to get down to the Santa Monica pier, because boarding  _started_  at twelve. I had to show up, I had no choice. If I didn't, who knew what would happen to Katie and Jo? I grabbed my luggage and burst out of my Holiday Inn room, ready to head down to the lobby to checkout.

* * *

**Katie's POV**

I stepped out of the rental car, and sniffed the air. It smelled salty and damp, like the Pacific Ocean. Gee, really? How about that?

Mom got out of the car too, shielding her eyes with a hand to keep the bright sun at bay, as she peered around, trying to see the ship that we were supposed to boarding. It didn't take long to spot it. Most of the ships were either ferries or cargo ships, but there was only one cruise ship docked at the moment. And painted on the side of the pure white cruise ship in gold lettering?  _ **The DLS-S**_. Bingo.

Mom popped the trunk open and we got our luggage out. We each had one suitcase, the kind with wheels at the bottom that you can roll, and a duffel bag, plus our purses, because you just never know what's going to happen or what you're going to need.

Mom locked up the car, biting her lip nervously, and tucked the keys into her jeans pocket. "Got everything?" she asked, slightly pointlessly since the car had already been locked. It was sign of how anxious and scared she was that she was asking me this three seconds late.

I nodded. "I'm good. Come on, let's just go get on board."

As we walked in the general direction of the DLS-S, I could feel my heart begin to race and the clenching in my stomach that I had been trying to ignore for the past few days begin to tighten and increase, as if something was trying to pull my stomach straight into my spine. It occurred to me that this might be the last time that we would ever walk on dry land, and I tried to memorize the feeling of the pavement against the soles of my sneakers, tried to enjoy the feeling of the hot sun beating down, reflecting against my hair.

We were halfway between the car and the DLS-S when I realized suddenly with another jolt to the stomach, that in the  _invitation_ , The Replacement had never used anyone against  _me_. So what was keeping me from running? Mom. That much was obvious. But she had never really been mentioned in the texts. But someone else had…James. It was an unspoken threat, but The Replacement had managed to let me know that they knew all about the…circumstances…between James and me, and they knew that James would be my third weak point, the first being my mother, and the second being Kendall, even if I was completely pissed with him and wanted to push him out of a window half the time.

And Kendall…Kendall must care about me if I had been used as a threat to him. But what about James? As far as I knew, no one had been threatened because of James. But then again, who would be used as a threat to him? I had no idea if he was even close to anyone anymore. I knew for a fact that he didn't have a girlfriend, because that would have been all over the internet, and as far as I knew, the only people who he was ever photographed with were fans, Gustavo, Kelly, Griffin, Mercedes, and once in a rare while, Camille. Somehow I didn't see any of them being used against James. I just couldn't picture it. He cared about them, but it seemed like The Replacement was only going after people's loved ones…and did James even have any loved ones?

We had reached the dock now, and halted right in front of the DLS-S, our home away from home. Awesome. Considering we had been blackmailed into probably reenacting  _The Titanic_ , this ship had better be damn nice.

The wind was blowing, as always, and I quickly slid off the hair tie that I kept on my wrist, trapping it between my teeth. I gathered my hair back and did my best to pull my hair into a neat ponytail, but I had the feeling that I looked like I had just flown in on the roof of a jet plane. Epic fail duly noted.

I huffed and pulled the hair tie out of my hair again, and was about to retry when Mom nudged me in the ribs. "Sweetie…I think I see one of our fellow passengers."

I turned in the direction she was looking at and lost all sense of composure as my hair escaped from my hands and the hair tie fell from my mouth to the ground. Well, I wouldn't be using that one again until it was thoroughly sterilized.

But I couldn't focus on that. I couldn't focus on anything.

Because coming towards me, hands in the pockets of his dark rinse skinny jeans, black t-shirt showing off to-die-for muscles, his brown hair blowing slightly but still as perfect as it always had been, a smile on his face and his large hazel eyes glittering, was none other than…

…James Diamond.


	4. Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter, everyone! :)

**Chapter 4 – Reunions**

**James's POV**

**(May 2** **nd** **, Friday)**

The car ride down to the pier was pretty uneventful, which I saw as a good thing. But it didn't take me long to realize just how stupid running out of the house was. If you're going to escape from some stalker-creep, the least you can do is be smart enough  _not_  to go to that person's cruise ship where they're waiting for you.

Unfortunately, none of us seemed to be quite that smart.

You know what else isn't smart? Riding in a limo when some psycho has made it very clear that they don't really care if they kill you. Limousines tend to draw attention, even in LA, where everyone just drives expensive, eco-friendly cars.

But there we were, sitting in the back of a black stretch limo, with a license plate that said  _ **Griffin1**_ , with the license [plate number](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/4/The-DLSS-Cruise)  _ **CEO4-num1**_. Yeah, that wasn't going to attract attention at all.

"Well," Griffin said, [stretching](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/4/The-DLSS-Cruise) out luxuriously, hands behind his head, "I must say, this is nice."

Gustavo, Kelly, Camille, Jo, Stephanie, and I all gaped at him as if he had just said that the sky was green.

"How – how – how is this nice?" Gustavo spluttered out. "We've just escaped from MY MANSION which has somehow been infiltrated by some psychotic stalker, and now we're heading to that psychotic stalker's lair! Tell me Griffin – which part of being trapped in between a rock and hard spot is nice?"

Griffin sighed lazily. "It's nice to finally be able to relax and get away from the stress of life."

We continued to stare at him as if he had lost his mind – which he obviously had.

"Are you drunk?" Kelly demanded. "Because you must be drunk. There's no other explanation for your frame of mind."

"Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, I am not in any means intoxicated. I just believe in a positive attitude."

"So do I," I assured him. "And I have a very positive attitude about the ship sinking ten minutes into the cruise."

"There's only a fifty/fifty chance of that," Griffin insisted calmly.

"Oh, yeah, so the odds are in our favor. Sweet! We have a fifty percent chance to still be alive in three hours."

"Oh look, we're here, goody," Camille deadpanned as we pulled up into the pier parking lot.

Griffin snapped his fingers. "I'll have Jeeves bring our luggage up to the dock."

"Jeeves? Really?" I mouthed to the girls, all of whom smirked with amusement at the utter cliché.

We got out of the car and headed up to the pier. My head was still spinning from the events of an hour ago. Everything was happening so fast, I just couldn't get my mind around it. I really just needed time to slow down for a couple of hours so I could step back and really get a clear focus on everything. But unless someone had invented a time machine in the past hour or so, that wasn't going to happen.

We stepped onto the dock and I breathed in the beautiful scent of sea air. The ocean was rippling slightly, and the ship rocked gently. The DLS-S looked like your average cruise ship, with nothing sinister about it. Wow. I had half-expected an old pirate ship with a skull-and-crossbones flag.

Jo glanced at the time on her phone. "I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day."

"Me neither," Stephanie agreed.

Jo, Stephanie, Camille, Gustavo, Kelly, and Griffin headed off to find some food, leaving me by myself on the dock. They're such good friends.

I glanced around, feeling the breeze whipping my hair slightly, and that's when I saw her. Katie. Oh my God.

She was beautiful. She was trying to get her long, brown hair in a ponytail, but then Mrs. Knight turned around and caught my eye. She said something to Katie, who glanced in my direction as I began walking towards them, and immediately her eyes widened. The hair tie fell from between her lips and her hands dropped from her hair.

"Oh my God," she breathed out as I moved closer. "Oh my…"

I reached them, and within a split second, Mama Knight had launched herself at me, hugging me tightly as if I was a life raft and she had been drowning in the ocean.

"Oh James," she mumbled, "you don't know how worried we've been ever since we got The Replacement's invitation…"

"I know," I breathed out, stroking her curly red hair while still staring at Katie as she bent down to retrieve her hair tie, and then straightened back up again, a look of shock on her face. "I know. Me too."

Mrs. Knight let go of me and I found myself stepping towards Katie. She froze, but that didn't stop me. I wrapped my arms around her, and after a second's hesitation, she put her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. And for a split second, I was nineteen and she was sixteen and we were in 2J and she was making me swear that I would never leave her. But I had…What were the chances that she had forgotten and forgiven? Hmmm…since it's Katie…probably not very good.

We might have stood like that for the rest of our lives if Mrs. Knight hadn't cleared her throat. "Oh look, I think the boarding officer is coming towards us." Her voice was flat, with a hint of sarcasm. Whoa. Since when did Mama Knight, the woman who used to wrack Kendall around the head when he was being a smart ass, use sarcasm?

Katie pulled away from me and I let my arms fall to my sides, immediately missing the feeling of her body against mine. Yeah, apparently my feelings hadn't changed in the past three years. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad, though.

A man in a blue uniform, similar to a Naval officer's, approached us, several men wearing white uniforms following close behind. "Are you here for the DLS-S cruise?"

We all nodded, mouths closed and faces white.

"Names?" he tapped his chained pen against his clipboard.

Mrs. Knight cleared her throat. "Jennifer and Katie Knight. Although Katie's name might be under Katherine."

"Nope, her name's under Katie. And yours?" he turned to me.

"James Diamond."

"Here you are. All right, you can board at any time between now and 1:30. The hostess will direct you to your rooms. These men – " he gestured to the men in white " – will take your luggage. Have a fun and safe cruise." And he walked away, shiny black shoes tapping against the wood of the dock, the luggage-carrier-guys hurrying after him, huffing and puffing as they hauled my designer luggage and Mrs. Knight and Katie's suitcases and duffel bags away.

Mrs. Knight turned to us, eyes bright and worried. "I'm going to go find a bathroom. I'll be right back."

For the first time in three years, Katie and I were alone. Although considering what tended to happen when we were by ourselves, that maybe wasn't the best idea in the world…

Katie turned to me. "I haven't forgiven you, you know. I still hate you for what you did."

Direct little thing, isn't she?

I felt my face and my spirits drop. "I know. I'm sorry, so sorry. I never…After what happened with the band…Everything just kind of fell apart. But…I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped loving you."

Her eyes hardened. "You still say the prettiest things, don't you James? Always the charmer. So why don't you do us all a favor and go and try to charm some snakes, preferably a boa constrictor." And she stalked past me, expression like stone.

Ouch. That was a little harsh. Although, let's face it, I kind of deserved it.

"Katie, wait – "

"Save it, James."

"Katie, come on. Please! We're going to be stuck together on a cruise ship that's probably going to end up getting blown up or something. Can't you at least talk to me?"

She paused. "I was thinking maybe the ship would hit an iceberg or something. The DLS-S getting blown up never even crossed my mind."

I felt a smile tug slightly at my lips. "Like the Titanic, right?"

"Exactly."

Katie had always loved that movie. It was pretty much the only sad movie that she ever watched all the way through. When she was younger, she used to gush over how cute and perfect Leonardo DiCaprio was as Jack, and she would always cry when Rose let go of Jack's frozen hand and let his body sink into the Atlantic Ocean. Come to think of it, I usually got a bit teary-eyed myself.

"Still think Leonardo DiCaprio is the hottest guy on earth?" I teased her.

She smirked. "Nah, he's not really my type anymore."

"Wait – you have a type?"

"I dated you, didn't I?  _You're_  a type."

I shifted slightly. "Dated? Is that even the right word, considering it was top secret?"

She opened her mouth to answer me, and then closed it when Mrs. Knight drew level with us. "Oh good, Katie hasn't pushed you into the water yet," she said to me, sounding relieved.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Oh  _puh-leeze_. I can handle situations like a mature, responsible adult. I mean, I only decked him twice."

I couldn't help it, I cracked up at that one. It was such a  _Katie-thing_  to say, and so reminiscent of happier days, that I couldn't help but flash back to all of her one-liners or sarcastic comments. Only Katie.

Mrs. Knight laughed right along with me, and Katie's composure broke – she started laughing too.

We finally calmed down, and Mrs. Knight glanced at her wristwatch. "Come on, I think we better get on the ship."

And that's when my companions decided to show up.

"HIIIIII!" Camille shrieked, running towards us with her arms out. She grabbed both Katie and Mrs. Knight in a tight hug. I could almost see both Knight women begin to turn blue.

Jo and Stephanie joined us and helped me pry Camille off of Katie and Mama Knight.

"Sorry about that," Jo said with an apologetic smile. "We let her have sugar."

I rolled my eyes. "What the hell were you thinking? Shame on you!"

"Oh shut up," she retorted, wracking my arm.

Stephanie stepped forward to hug Katie and Mrs. Knight. "I promise not to squeeze you two half to death," she assured them while Camille flipped her off.

Jo hugged them as well, just as the adults over thirty joined us. Even more hugging went around, before Mrs. Knight glanced at her watch again.

"We really should all get on board, find out where our rooms are and such." She paused, before turning to Jo and Gustavo. "Do you know if Kendall's going to be joining us?"

"Oh, I imagine he will be," Gustavo drawled, arms across his huge chest. "If he hadn't, Jo and Katie would probably be in the emergency room by this time."

The lobby of the ship was very nice, paneled in blond wood, with oriental rugs spread out on the floor, and Picasso paintings on the walls.

A young Asian woman stood just inside the ship, wearing a dark blue dress suit with a nametag that read:  _ **Mindy**_. Her black hair was pulled back in a low, neat ponytail and held with a rectangular clip, and she was clutching a black folder to her chest.

"Names?" she asked.

Gustavo immediately stepped forward. "Gustavo Rocque and Kelly Wainwright." He turned to the rest of us. "I want to get us settled in first, so that maybe we can figure out what's going on."

"You two are in 3G. Have a nice cruise."

She handed them each a keycard, gave them directions, and then Griffin stepped forward. He had been on his phone, which was why he hadn't objected to Gustavo and Kelly getting their room numbers first.

"Arthur Griffin – "

Before Mindy could tell him which room he was in, there was a loud squeal: "NO WAAAAAY! STALKER CRUISE TIME! WHOOO!"

Guess who that was. If you were thinking along the lines of short, Latino, and energetic, then DING, DING, DING, you win!

We all spun around to find Carlos flying into the lobby, an excited look on his face.

"Carlos," Katie said slowly, "I think you're missing the point of the  _stalker cruise_ , as you so eloquently put it – when someone has threatened you, you're not supposed to get excited about being forced on that person's cruise."

Carlos shrugged, before grabbing Katie and pulling her into an enthusiastic hug. "Yeah, but it's still a free cruise! And in my book, that's reason enough to get excited."

"Since when do you even have any books?" Camille demanded, smiling slightly.

Carlos released Katie, who massaged her ribs, gasping slightly, and frowned indignantly at Camille. "It's a figure of speech, Cami!"

Carlos and I might never have seen each other, but all of our mutual Hollywood friends kept in touch with both of us. It didn't surprise me that Camille and Carlos were already ribbing each other, and acting like they were the best of friends, because they probably were pretty close to that anyway.

"Hey Carlos," Stephanie said shyly, stepping forward.

"Stephanie…wow…you look…wow…" He smiled widely, giving her an admiring look.

"Nice use of adjectives there, you must keep a whole collection of thesauruses," Katie deadpanned. It also didn't surprise me that she was a lot friendlier to Carlos than she had been to me. Chances were, he hadn't promised that no matter what happened with the band, he would never leave her. Plus, I was the one she had lost her virginity to when she was sixteen, not Carlos. Yeah, she had some really good reasons to be angry with me.

"As a matter of fact," Carlos stated proudly, "I don't own a single one."

"Some things never change," I muttered under my breath, and that's when Carlos finally faced me. His expression gave away almost nothing, and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was, or if he was still angry about what had happened. Carlos had had almost nothing to do with the breakup with the band – he had been trying to get us to calm down and think happy thoughts about kittens while we were screaming our heads off at each other.

"No, I guess they don't," he said softly. "James."

"Carlos."

There was a pause, and then Carlos gripped me in a huge bear hug, doubtlessly shocking everyone.

I hugged him back, guessing that this meant that maybe he wasn't as pissed off at me as I had thought he might be.

Carlos pulled back, grinning from ear to ear. "God, I've missed you. Still the same pretty boy as ever."

"Hey, look at you, the host of the newest reality show! How about that?"

Carlos shrugged. "It's crazy, and lots of fun. Plus, I get to participate in most of the stunts!"

"So, uh, you're not upset about…say…everything?"

A shadow crossed Carlos's face. "Oh, I am, believe me, but…it wasn't really anyone's fault. We were all growing apart anyway, it was just a matter of time before BTR split up."

"Really, because I remember you screaming at me that it was all  _my_  fault that we were fighting in the first place," came an all-too familiar voice from the door. We all turned in that direction, and found Logan leaning against the doorframe, wearing sunglasses, his dark hair still short and spiky as ever.

"Dr. Mitchell," Katie proclaimed. "Nice of you to show up."

Logan slowly raised his sunglasses as if he were the spoiled pop star and not me, surveying us. "God, you guys really are idiots, aren't you? You can't even see what's in front of you!"

That was it. Our greeting after three years. He called us idiots. He must've been practicing that one in front of the mirror for months.

"Yeah, see, that makes no sense to those of us with normal-sized brains," I informed him.

He scowled at me. "I got this text from The Replacement – we're all here because of one person's secret. And I can guess who that person is."

Oh God. Did he mean…Katie and me? He must have. Who else had kept secrets from everyone else?

Logan glanced around the room, eyes not landing on anyone. "But I promised to keep that person's secret, so…Mindy, my name is Logan Mitchell. Which room am I in?"

"Room 2D. You're rooming with Arthur Griffin."

Logan dry choked. "What? That can't be right."

Mindy shrugged and handed him the binder she was holding. "See for yourself if you don't believe me."

Logan glowered at the page with his name, roommate, and room number on it, but then his expression vanished into a blank one. "Fine. Whatever. Where's 2D?"

Mindy began to explain to him, but I didn't catch most of what she said – my attention was drawn to the entrance, where a tall, slim, blond haired guy with eyebrows that had become infamous stood, watching the scene play out. Kendall.

* * *

**Katie's POV**

Kendall's eyes met mine for a fleeting second, and then he stepped forward, no longer looking at me. "Can I get my room assignment?"

Mindy eyed him before saying, "You're in 3J – with…Jennifer Knight."

Kendall's jaw dropped. "WHAT? Are you – no – you can't – WHY?"

The last time I had seen Mom look so broken was when Kendall had stormed out of the house for the last time. Who knew that three years later, he could still get the same heartbreaking response from her?

I slipped my arm around Mom, pulling her to me. James came up on her other side and gave her a one-armed hug as well. Carlos frowned, obviously a little confused, but followed our lead and came around behind Mom, hugging her from behind.

"You've still got two of your boys, Mama Knight," Carlos assured her.

"And you've still got me," I added.

Kendall gave us all dirty looks, his eyes resting on Jo for a split second longer, before getting his keycard and marching off without even asking for directions. Typical Kendall. Knowing him, he would get lost and find himself in the boiler room or something. Some things never change.

Mom sighed and ducked out from all of our arms. "I'm Jennifer Knight. Can I have my keycard please? I need to go and find my son and talk to him."

"Mom – " I began, but she put her hand up.

"I need to talk to him alone. You find out where you're staying, okay? I'll come and find you later. Love you."

"I love you too," I muttered.

Mindy handed Mom her keycard and gave her directions, and Mom set off to find the room and the idiot who I lovingly call my brother.

Jo sighed, looking and sounding distressed. No wonder. Kendall had barely even looked at her.

"My name's Jo Taylor," she said to Mindy. "Can I have my keycard?"

"Sure. You're in room 3B with Camille Roberts."

"Thanks," Jo said, sounding exhausted, and took the keycard and headed off to her room.

"So Logan," I began. He turned to face me haughtily, quite an unusual expression on Logan's face.

"What?" he asked.

"No 'nice to see you, how's everything been going'? Or 'gee whiz, it's so good to know that you guys haven't been killed by the lunatic who blackmailed us all onto this cruise in the first place'? And what's with the attitude anyway? Just because none of us got a text blaming this entire thing on one person is no reason to treat us like we're invalids. James and Carlos and I all had falling outs, but at least we said 'hi' to each other and hugged and everything. You and Kendall are both acting like it was our idea to come on this cruise in the first place. Care to explain?"

Logan finally raised his sunglasses, securing them on his head. "Maybe I just don't want a replay of what happened during the last fight. Ever thought about that, Katie? Hmmm? Ever considered that there's more to this world than, oh, say, you?"

Whoa. That did not sound like Logan at all.

"Hey! Whoa there," Camille stepped in, waving her arms. "What the hell is the matter with you? Frankly, I think Katie has a damn good point. Kendall treated us all like we don't even exist, and you're going around acting like this whole thing is our fault and you're the only innocent party."

"Maybe that's because I am," Logan shot back at her. "Ever thought about that? Think about it, Camille. We all have secrets in this room. Every single one of us. And one of those secrets is the reason why we're all here. I think I can honestly say that I'm the only one here who doesn't have a secret that affected the band in some way."

"Oh yeah?" Camille shot back. "Then what's my secret?"

"You made out with James when we were seventeen. That had enough of an effect on the band and our relationship to perhaps – "

SMACK!

Camille had slapped Logan across the face. "How DARE you bring that up? That was  _five_  years ago and it was an accident!"

"Camille." Stephanie and Jo both hurried forward to grab her and pin her back.

"Still as crazy as ever, eh Cami?" Logan retorted with a sneer on his face. "But you were always a crazy bitch."

"Okay, what the  _fuck_  happened to you?" Stephanie screamed at Logan. "You were always so nice and sweet! How did you get to be such a…such a…"

"Such a what? Listen, Steph, only the sons of bitches ever get anywhere in life. Hollywood taught me that."

"That doesn't mean you can be such an ass to your friends!"

"Ex-friends, Stephanie,  _ex_ -friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here."

And with that, he snatched up his keycard and swaggered off, just like the motherfucker he was.

There was a pause, and then Carlos shook his head. "I don't know. I think he's been listening to too many Motley Crue songs."

James gave a shaky laugh. "I think one of us should've punched him – I mean, besides Camille. Maybe it would've knocked some sense into him."

"I'll do it," I volunteered eagerly. "He could use a good slap upside the head. This'll be fun!"

I made it the first few steps before James grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back to him.

"Oh no you don't, if anyone's going to be doing any punching of the Loganator, it's going to be me."

"Uh, no, it's going to be me," I argued. "I'm the one who he called self-centered."

"Yeah, but I punch harder than you."

"I beg to differ." And I sank my fist into his stomach.

He gave me the thumbs up sign as he toppled over. "How adorable!"

"It should be me who punches him," Camille launched in as James lay curled up in the fetal position on the ship's floor, moaning and clutching his stomach. "I'm the ex-girlfriend who got reminded of a mistake that she made when she was seventeen. Plus, if I may remind you, I got called a crazy bitch."

"Well, I'm the one who he pretty much dissed," Stephanie reminded her. "Plus, you already got to slap him. Let the rest of us have a turn!"

"Hey, he completely ignored James and me!" Carlos protested, and James gave a squeaky, indignant, "Yeah!" from the floor.

"So one of us should hold his hands behind his back while the other one of us punches him," Carlos finished up.

"No, no, no, this is what we do," I cut in. "Camille, you jump him and knock him down. You and Stephanie, keep him pinned down, and then James, Carlos, and I will come swinging at him."

There was a general pause, and then everyone nodded.

"Sounds good to me," Camille agreed.

"Me too," Stephanie added.

"Love the idea," Carlos said.

"Hear, hear," James groaned from the floor.

"Well, I guess I should go check on Jo," Camille said with a sigh, before saying to Mindy, "I'm Camille Roberts. Could I have my cardkey?"

"Sure, here you go."

Mindy handed Camille her key and Camille headed off to her room, leaving James (still holding onto his stomach while curled up on the floor), Carlos, Stephanie, and I alone.

"Carlos Garcia," Carlos stated to Mindy. "Which room am I – ?"

"You're in 2N with Stephanie King."

We all did double-takes. I had figured that I would be sharing with Stephanie and James and Carlos would be rooming together, not…Oh my God. There was no way. This was…this was such an obvious setup.

"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "I mean, it's definitely Carlos and me together? So Katie Knight and James Diamond are roommates?"

"Yes, that's right."

Carlos stared at James and me, looking like he was mulling something over in his head. Carlos very rarely mulled things over, but when he did, he was usually spot-on. Great. All we needed now was a suspicious Carlos and the awkwardness would be complete.

"Could we have our keycards?" Stephanie stepped forward. "I'm Stephanie King."

Mindy handed Stephanie and Carlos their keycards, before looking over at James and me.

"Katie Knight and James Diamond?"

"That would be us," I admitted.

"You two are in room 2K. Here are your keycards. Have a nice cruise."

I took the keycards and hauled James to his feet. "Oh, stop complaining. I didn't hit you that hard. Anyway, aren't your abs supposed to be, like, rock hard or something?"

"I wasn't ready for it," he griped, swiping his keycard from me. "I hadn't braced myself."

I snickered as we began walking towards the stairs. "You are such a baby."

"Hey, it's not my fault you punch harder than the average nineteen year old girl," he said defensively.

"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "And how many nineteen year old girls go around punching you?"

He smirked. "So far, you're the only one."

"Lucky me."

"Hey, that's the closest you've come to these – " he yanked his shirt up to show off his perfect washboard abs (AAAAAGH!) – " in a long time."

I rolled my eyes as we reached the second floor. "You are  _such_  a man."

"I thought I was a baby."

"You are."

"So I'm a man and a baby at the same time. I'm a ban. A manby. A – "

"Shut up or I'll kick you in the balls."

"Wow, Katie, I thought you'd never offer. Just like old times, right?" he added with a wink.

I threw him a disgusted look while praying fervently that I wasn't blushing like crazy. "Masochist."

"Only when it comes to you, K-squared." Nice to know he's gotten his old charm back. I was getting worried there when he was being nice and sweet and polite.

We reached 2K and I stuck the keycard in the door. With a click, the door unlocked and I opened it.

The room was…well…small. I mean, not traditional-standard-fare-cruise-ship small, but still fairly small. There was one queen size bed, a TV, a dresser, a closet, a weird watercolor painting of a hill side hanging over the bed, and a bathroom.

No couch, no second bed, much less a second bedroom, no nothing. Oh my…

James glanced around. "This can't be right…"

But I knew it was. It had to be. The Replacement had made sure that we would have no choice but to sleep in the same bed together, something we hadn't done in three years.

James dashed into the bathroom. For a moment I thought he was going to vomit, but instead I found him checking out the bathtub. "Damn, not even big enough for a four-foot person to sleep in," he griped. "And there's not enough carpet space for even a midget to stretch out on."

"Face it, James," I said, stepping up to him. "The Replacement planned this. They want this to be as weird and awkward as possible. They're making sure we have to sleep in that bed with each other. They're giving us no other options. I bet if we cared to check, everyone else will be sleeping in close quarters with each other." I paused, thinking of Logan and Griffin, and then said, "Well, maybe not  _such_  close quarters, but close enough so that there's really no way to get away from each other. The Replacement planned this all out well."

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and James jumped slightly too. We glanced at each other warily before pulling our phones out. They each vibrated four more times, before they finally settled down.

"Five new messages," I confirmed. "You?"

"Same."

"Open them on the count of three?"

"Deal. One – "

"Two – "

And then together: "THREE!"

I opened the message and felt my stomach nearly drop to the floor as I caught sight of the blocked number:  _ **Ahhhh, Katie, James, congratulations on the reunion! You two must be so thrilled to see each other! Yes Katie, you're right – I made damn sure that no one had any alternative to sleep anywhere else. But James – it was a nice try. But wow, this must be so awkward for you two! Imagine – you used to sneak around and bang each other behind everyone else's backs, and now, 3 years later, you're sleeping in the same bed again. Owwww! All I can say is: Have fun and be safe. And by "be safe" I mean there's protection – ahem, birth control – in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There! Didn't your guys' cruise just suddenly get so much better? ;) Have a good time and don't be afraid to act out your guys' sexual tension! –The Replacement.**_


	5. Here's The Catch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the chapter! :)

**James's POV**

**(May 2** **nd** **, Friday)**

"So…uh…which side of the bed do you want?" I awkwardly asked Katie, nervously running my fingers through my hair.

She [glanced](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311213/5/The-DLSS-Cruise) up from her phone (what kind of phone was that anyway? It looked like it had time traveled all the way from 2001) at my question. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Which side of the bed do you want to sleep on?" I repeated, and she blushed.

I remembered that she always favored the left side, but maybe that had changed in the three years since we had last slept in the same bed.

"I still sleep on the left," she said quietly, her voice sounding slightly detached. "Are you still on the right?"

I smiled slightly. "Yeah. So…uh…this room could be a lot worse. I mean, at least it's got a TV."

Katie snorted. "What are the chances we're going to be able to pick up any kind of signal when we're out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?"

"You negative thinker, you!"

She paused. "Do you think the room is booby-trapped or something?"

"I – you know, I would have thought that, except that with the last text, I got the impression that The Replacement is using us all for their sick amusement."

"Your point being…?"

"That The Replacement isn't going to kill or hurt us until absolutely necessary. They're probably watching from somewhere on the ship, maybe they're even one of the crew members or something, checking up on us to see what sort of catfights or scandals will come out of this. Thus the birth control – have as much sex as you want, just as long as The Replacement finds out about it."

She suddenly clutched my arm, eyes wide. "Hey…you don't think there's cameras or bugs or something set up in here, do you?"

I bit my lip. "There might be…But I don't – I don't know how they would work or anything like that. I don't even know if they would operate so far away from a satellite or digital signal."

"But then how is The Replacement hearing our every word?"

I shrugged. "Maybe they're listening at a keyhole?"

"Maybe…"

"Hey, let's go check to see what kind birth control The Replacement was kind enough to leave us."

She turned around to face me slowly, eyebrows raised and arms crossed.

"Ummm…not that we're going to use it or anything," I quickly added.

"Oh puh-leeze, you've been totally undressing me with your eyes ever since you found out we'd be sharing a bed."

"I have not!" Okay, maybe I had. But it's not like it's my fault! She's beautiful, and, well, being around her was bringing up some old and really good (really,  _really_  good) memories. Besides, is there anyone out there who can control their thoughts? Yeah. That's what I thought.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Are you going to go check in the medicine cabinet or not?"

I had a feeling that was just to shut me up, but I went ahead and headed into the bathroom. I stopped in front of the medicine cabinet, admiring my hair in the mirror doors as I paused, before opening them – and leapt back as a cascade of packages of condoms came tumbling down.

At the crashing sound, Katie came hurrying into the bathroom and found me leaning against the wall, just out of reach of the foil packages.

"Should I ask what happened?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I think somewhere on this ship, The Replacement is laughing their head off," I informed her haughtily, ignoring her question.

"Probably," she agreed, smirking slightly as she bent down to pick up a package of condoms. "Oh, look, Trojans. You want it?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Katie snickered and then proceeded to open the next cabinet. "Oh…wow…" There were four or five different types of birth control pills stocked high on the shelves, and attached to one of the bottles was a piece of paper. Katie ripped it from the bottle and read through it, before shoving it at me. "Unbelievable," she muttered under her breath.

I glanced at the piece of paper and winced:  _ **Hello James and Katie! I hope you two are doing all right. In fact, I hope you're doing better than all right, if you get my drift (wink, wink). So…the reason for the birth control pills, Katie? Well, that's one of the few things that I never managed to find out you: Which pill you're on. So I got a few different brands. Plus, there's a couple different types of Morning-After-pills, incase you aren't on the pill at all. So…enjoy yourselves! That's the idea with this after all. ;) –The Replacement.**_

Wow. Really? There was no doubt about it – the reason why Katie and I were sharing a room was for

The Replacement's sick amusement. Maybe there really were cameras in here, so that they could watch if we happened to get down and dirty…Or not. After all, if that was the case, wouldn't The Replacement just text us when they saw that we had found the birth control?

Well, however The Replacement was spying on us, there were more important things to worry about. Such as my body reacting when Katie and I had to sleep in the same bed that night. Oh, and the possibility of the DLS-S crashing into an iceberg. Those two things were pretty terrifying and urgent, and there really wasn't much I could for either…

* * *

**Logan's POV**

I paced in-between the two beds, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Who the hell did The Replacement think they were? I had my reasons for not wanting to have anything to do with anyone, and The Replacement knew that! Hell, they had caused some of that coldness towards everyone, with those stupid texts they had sent. I still couldn't believe that James and Katie had been sleeping together in the weeks before the band broke up.

"You're making me tired," Griffin informed me.

"How am I making you tired?" I snapped at him.

"I'm watching you. You're the most interesting thing in the room."

"Not my problem. Turn the TV on if you're so bored."

"Logan…We need to talk about why we're being forced to room together."

"I think the answer's pretty simple – The Replacement is sadistic and enjoys torturing me. You should be enjoying this."

Griffin sighed, resting his face in his hands. "Logan, I know you resent me, but this has to stop."

"No, it doesn't! I walked in on you three years ago, having sex with someone who wasn't your wife! I walked in on you having sex with our bassist, Brody! And then at our final album release party…That guy was drugged! Did you roofie his drink or what?"

"Do you really think I would do that?" Griffin snarled back at me.

"How the fuck should I know? And then…no one knows, you know. No one knows about your need for prostitutes."

"THEY WERE ESCORTS!"

"THEY WERE WELL-PAID HOOKERS!" I yelled back at him. Finally. After three years, I was finally getting to say what I had wanted to say to him ever since the time I had walked into Gustavo's office and found

him pounding into our notoriously gay bassist. I still had nightmares about that moment. "SOME OF THEM WERE YOUR DAUGHTER'S AGE! And…you propositioned Mercedes' boyfriend, I know you did!"

"I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH HIM!" Griffin roared back, leaping to his feet.

"BUT YOU WOULD'VE IF HE WASN'T STRAIGHT! AND HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET BRODY ONTO GUSTAVO'S DESK? DID YOU THREATEN TO FIRE HIM?"

"DO YOU REALLY HAVE SUCH LITTLE FAITH IN ME?"

"YES! BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WERE HAVING ME WATCHED, EVEN AFTER THE BAND BROKE UP! YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE THAT YOU'RE BISEXUAL AND THAT YOU SLEPT WITH OUR BASSIST, SOME RANDOM DRUGGED DUDE, MALE PROSTITUTES, AND THAT YOU HIT ON YOUR DAUGHTER'S BOYFRIEND! YOU ARE SICK, GRIFFIN! YOU KNOW THAT? YOU ARE  _SICK_!"

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?" Griffin spat back at me. "I'VE GONE THROUGH COUNSELING, THROUGH THERAPY!"

"So you're no longer some weird, creepy pedophile?" I snapped. "Does Mercedes know about your past? Or Mrs. Adelia Griffin, the woman who loves to redecorate your house and bake you your favorite pies?"

Griffin's face paled and his cheeks tightened. "How would I ever tell them?" he whispered. "How would I ever tell them about who I am – who I was?"

"How should I know?" I hissed. "You were the one who liked young men – boys, really – not me."

"But it's all in the past, it's all a memory!" Griffin insisted. "I'm not that person anymore!"

"I hope for your sake that you're not," I snarled at him. "Because otherwise The Replacement is going to find out and use it against you. I know they are."

Everyone probably thought I was a jackass by this point. Yeah, I was, but I had my reasons. Everything I had accused Griffin of was true, and I knew that James and Katie had been sleeping together three years ago as well. And then there was the thing with Kendall and Mrs. Knight, and that time when I had gotten drunk off of spiked punch and hit on Stephanie. Thank goodness she hadn't reciprocated my actions, because otherwise I would owe Carlos big time. But I think I'm probably the one who scared her away from the Palmwoods. Not because I tried to rape her or anything, but I was pretty hammered and I came on strong. And The Replacement had hinted that Camille had had a secret that she was keeping from me as well.

It seemed like Jo, Carlos, and probably Gustavo and Kelly, were the only ones without some sort of secret. I had a pretty good idea that Stephanie had a huge secret as well as the one about me hitting on her. But I could be wrong about Carlos and Jo. Who knew what they had been up to since I had last seen them? Who knew what was going on in Carlos's life while we were still in LA? Who knew what Jo had been doing over in New Zealand and Europe in the last few years? I didn't even want to think about

it.

But The Replacement was making that very hard.

I slammed into the bathroom and locked the door, huddling against the sink. This entire thing was more than messed up.

My phone beeped and I hesitantly pulled it out. Great. More text messages. I opened them up and saw the blocked number. The Replacement.

_**About time someone finally confronted Arthur Griffin about his behavior! It was absolutely atrocious, and everyone paid for it without even realizing it! Oh, but one other person did…Jo Taylor. You might want to ask her about why she ended up in New Zealand. The answer might surprise you. Tsk, tsk, tsk. So many of these secrets are sexual. But…have you ever noticed how Gustavo does EVERYTHING Griffin tells him to? I know, I know, Gustavo always said it was because Griffin was "the CEO of all of your guys' butts", but could there be another reason? Ahhhh, the lovely etiquette of modern-day Hollywood. Isn't it just grand? –The Replacement.** _

* * *

**Katie's POV**

So, what was in the third cabinet, you may ask? Guess. Sponges. The birth control kind, not the foamy kind. I'm telling you, I think The Replacement was planning on filming a sex tape of James and me. Well, either that, or else they had another perverted reason. Either way, I was pretty sure anything sexual between us (hah! Yeah right!) would be exploited somehow.

James lounged on his side of the bed, watching TV. "Check it out, Katie!" he called to me. " _Gossip Girl_  is on!"

_Gossip Girl_  used to be my guilty pleasure. It still is, as a matter of fact. But…the very real experience of having a very real stalker was becoming really creepy. So the idea of _Gossip Girl_  watching and reporting on everyone just wasn't so appealing at the moment. It would be a bit like watching  _Pretty Little Liars_ , only maybe not quite as bad. Well. At least I wasn't having an affair with my English teacher.

Oh no. I had just slept with my older brother's best friend at the ripe old age of sixteen. Yeah, I was as innocent as a girl scout. A girl scout on marijuana, that is.

I snorted as I walked over to James and plopped down on the bed next to him. "Since when do you watch  _Gossip Girl_?"

He shrugged. "Are you kidding me? The sex? The scandals? The clothes?  _The sex_?"

I snickered. "I'm glad to see your reasons for watching it aren't shallow at all."

"Katie, did I mention  _the sex_?"

I eyed him. "You're even hornier than you were when you were sixteen. I'm a little worried about being on the same bed as you."

James rolled over to face me, smirking. "Then why haven't you moved?"

"I'm a risk-taker."

I swear, I only blinked for a second, but the next thing I knew, I was being pinned down to the mattress by James.

"This is what you get for not wearing your parachute," he whispered, holding my wrists above my head, lips centimeters from my ear. I wiggled under him, more for show than to actually escape, and his smirk widened.

"Next time I'll bring a trampoline to catch me," I retorted, trying to keep my voice cool and unaffected, but the effect was ruined by the fact that my breath was coming out in short gasps. So much for acting totally cool and calm. Crap.

And then it hit me. I had free fallen, and nothing had caught me, until I had hit the (hypothetical/virtual) pavement hard. He had betrayed me. HE HAD FUCKING BETRAYED ME! And he thought he could just waltz in and hold me down and smirk and blink those huge, beautiful, hazel eyes at me and everything would be okay? What was I? One of his stupid slutty girlfriends? Well! I wasn't going to stand for it!

I kneed him in the stomach and he let out a hoarse gasp and rolled off of me. "Katie – what the hell?"

"That's for being a fucking man whore! And no, James – I haven't forgiven you!"

"Katie…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think everything was cool? Sorry, I think I gave you the wrong impression…like you did to me when you told me I could trust you!"

And with that reel, I leapt off of the bed and crashed into the bathroom, throwing the door shut behind me. I locked it and leaned against it, shaking. The memories were beginning to hit me with the speed of a train:

" _ **Katie…" James whispered as he laid next to me on his queen sized bed, gently moving a strand of hair out of my eyes.**_

_**I turned my head to look at him, smiling blissfully. "Yeah?"** _

" _ **I love you."**_

_**I felt my smile widen as my stomach swooped and my heart picked up its pace. "I love you too."** _

_**()()()()** _

" _ **James? What's wrong?" I asked as he slammed into the apartment, eyes blazing.**_

" _ **Oh…Katie…It's nothing…"**_

" _ **James? What happened? Are you guys fighting again?"**_

_**James let out a long sigh as he sank down onto the couch beside me. "Yeah. I don't know K-Squared. I think the band might be breaking up soon."** _

" _ **But…but…the band can't break up!" I protested. "It's what keeps everyone together! It's your guys' dream! And…what about us?" The last sentence came out soft and weak, like I was scared to say it, and in a way, I was.**_

_**James stood up and pulled me to my feet, before wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me to his body. "It'll be okay," he said. "I promise you now, Katie, that whatever happens, nothing will ever tear us apart. I will never leave you."** _

()()()()

I was pulled from my memories by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Oh no.

I got my phone out and flipped it open. Yep. The Replacement had thought it would be fun to send me a torturous text message: _ **Hey there, K-Squared ;) Wow, things got pretty steamy between you and James, huh? But it's good that you're standing up for yourself. I bet it felt good, getting all of that off your chest after three years. But hot damn…Things could have gotten pretty heated there…Ah, well, there's still plenty of time for you two to kiss and make up, if you get my drift (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). –The Replacement.**_

My jaw dropped. Oh my gosh. There was no way The Replacement could not have known about James pinning me down on the bed just by listening at a freaking keyhole!

"JAMES!" I hollered, getting up off of the floor and yanking the door open. He was on the bed, head bowed over his iPhone. He looked up when I stormed into the room.

"Did you get a text message from The Replacement too?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"YES! James, there's no way that they could have known without – "

"Without watching us," James agreed, face grim.

"So that means there really are cameras set up in here."

"But where?"

Before I could answer that, a voice suddenly echoed through the room, down the hall, in the next room: " _We are about to set sail. Will every passenger please come to the front parlor? I repeat: Every passenger to the front parlor. Thank you."_

James and I exchanged long looks. Could we have just heard The Replacement's voice? Was it even

possible? The voice sounded like a normal man's voice…It was hard to believe that it could belong to some psycho delinquent.

"I suppose we better head down to the 'front parlor'," James said, using his fingers as quotation marks. "And…um…about what happened earlier…I'm…I'm sorry…I just…I missed you. It was just way too easy to get back into the old habit of things."

I waved his apology off. "It's not a problem. You're right – it was way too easy to fall back into the old rhythms. Anyway, I kind of freaked out on you, so…" I wanted to apologize, but the words seemed to be blocked by an apple-sized lump in my throat, and I knew why. I wasn't sorry, not in the least.

James pursed his lips and gave me a sad look, his large hazel eyes even bigger and pathetic. I immediately felt my heart begin to break, but I dug my heels in and fought to stay strong. I couldn't melt every time he flashed a puppy-dog look at me. I was no longer a sixteen year old girl. I was nineteen, and no longer naïve. Fine. Call me jaded. Call me bitter. Call me whatever you want. But I refused to let myself fall into the patented James Diamond Trap. He hadn't meant to break my heart, but he had, and it was just proof that The Great James Diamond, the womanizer, the lady's man, the infamous player, was not meant to be tied down by anyone.

"Come on." I tugged at his arm to get him to move, and we left the room, James locking the door behind us.

From down the hall, I saw Carlos and Stephanie exiting their room as well. I waved to them, and they both waved back, before joining us.

"So…uh, how's your room?" James asked as he pulled an all-too familiar black comb from his back pocket and began running it through his rich brown locks.

"Small," Stephanie answered immediately. "There's one queen-sized bed and nowhere else to sleep. What about your guys'?"

"The same," I replied. "I don't know how Mom's going to feel when she finds out I'm sharing a bed with James Diamond, International Player Extraordinaire."

"IPE," Stephanie cracked, acronym-ing my new title for James, and we both burst out laughing.

James and Carlos just gave us looks like we were crazy, and then Carlos launched into a rendition of this one insane stunt on his show,  _Danger Deliver_.

While the boys talked, Stephanie touched my arm. "Maybe we could switch rooms. Like, say, we could share a room, and James and Carlos can share one."

"Wha – you're not thrilled about sleeping in the same bed as Carlos?" I teased her, waggling my eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm very thrilled," Stephanie assured me in a low voice as we fell behind the guys a few feet, "but I

haven't seen him in so long…it just feels like rushing things a little too much, even if it's strictly platonic."

I sighed. "I know how that goes."

"Hmmm?"

"Oh – it's nothing. Sure, let's ask the boys if they want to switch the rooms up a bit – "

A split second after the last word left my mouth, all of our phones vibrated at the exact same time. Oh no.

James and Carlos both groaned.

"Now what?" Carlos mumbled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Can't we go five minutes without getting a text from The Replacement?"

Stephanie and I exchanged looks.

"I think Katie and I might have triggered the texts," Stephanie admitted. "We were talking about changing rooms to make things a little less…weird…"

I wiggled my phone from my jeans pocket as well and opened the new batch of texts:  _ **Oh Katie and Stephanie darlings! Would you really want to switch the rooms? Imagine the effect that could have on poor James's and Carlos's egos! They might feel incompetent and undesirable! Now would you really want to do that to those poor boys? Besides, it won't be nearly as much fun if it's just you two! There'll be less scandal, less drama, less...well, just less! Anyway, if you two aren't convinced, I'll be forced to enforce one of the rules for the DLS-S: No switching of rooms. Sorry girls, you're going to have to stay with your assigned roomies. But don't worry – it'll be fun no matter what…especially for me. ;) –The Replacement.**_

"Well," Stephanie deadpanned, "that's not creepy at all."

" _Incompetent and undesirable_?" James repeated hotly. "What the hell? This – " he did his jazz-hands move down his face and down the length of his upper body " – is very competent and desirable! Just ask Katie – on second thought, don't ask Katie. Haha, I don't know why I said that…Ummm…That was…stupid…"

I face-palmed as both Carlos and Stephanie raised their eyebrows at me pointedly.

"He just means his abs," I assured them. "Because, you know, I've seen them a billion times."

"Oh, right, of course," Carlos said with a reassured smile, but Stephanie didn't look completely convinced. No wonder. Considering that I had practically hinted that something had happened between James and me, and now James's own slipup, she was probably already beginning to put the pieces together.

"So…um…anyone know where the front parlor is?" James asked as we reached the lobby. We all looked

around, and my ears pricked up at the sound of low voices in the next room.

"I think it's that one."

I led the others into the room just behind the lobby, and sure enough, there were already three other pairs in there: Logan and Griffin, Camille and Jo, and Gustavo and Kelly.

Logan wasn't talking to anyone, but Camille and Jo were chatting, while Griffin was talking with Gustavo and Kelly.

"So wow, this is really happening!" Carlos proclaimed cheerfully the second we stepped into the room. Everyone turned to look at us at Carlos's proclamation.

"You can't  _seriously_  be excited," Logan commented, his voice dry with an undertone of disgust. "We all got blackmailed and threatened into this cruise. I know you're not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but even  _you_  should be able to tell that this isn't just your ordinary luxury cruise."

"That's no reason not to be excited – I mean, come on Logie, the cruise was – technically – free! And we're all together again."

"And if this is going to turn into a preppy,  _High School Musical_  meeting, I'm outta here."

We all turned around to find Mom and Kendall hovering over the threshold. Well, that wasn't really correct. Mom had just crossed into the room, but Kendall was already spinning on his heel, about to do what he had just said he would do.

"Kendall!" Mom protested. "We're all supposed to gather here! You can't just leave!"

"Oh yeah?" he snarled. "Watch me!"

And that's when my little sister instincts kicked into high gear. I made a dash across the room and leapt onto Kendall's back, knocking him down to the ground.

"Ow – Katie – what the hell?"

"Now why does this seem familiar?" James muttered.

I stayed on Kendall's back, forcing him to lie on his stomach on the floor. Well, maybe it wasn't so much  _forcing_  him to, as trying to keep him in place. He was tall and muscled from dancing for so long, and then playing hockey professionally for the past three years. And then there was me, small at not even five-two, weighing just a little over a hundred pounds on a bad day. And today was not a bad day for my weight. But even though Kendall could have easily thrown me off of him, he didn't struggle.

I pinned his arms behind his back. "Don't even  _think_  about going anywhere," I hissed at him. "According to Logan, someone's secret is the reason we're all here – how do I know it's not yours and it's not your fault that we're all here? Man up, big brother, because otherwise I'm going to sneak into your room and paint flowers on your face…in un-washable paint."

Kendall snorted. "There's no such thing."

"Can you prove it?" I questioned. "Hmm, hmm? Where's the proof?"

Kendall grumbled under his breath, but finally said, "Fine. I won't run off. Just get off of me, Katie, I took a puck in the back during the last game."

"Ahhhh, poor baby, it must suck being you."

But I crawled off of him anyway.

Mom rushed forward and tried to help Kendall up, but he just glared at her and stood up stiffly, before stalking right past us into the main part of the room.

Wow. And things were going so well. The nerve of some people. Namely, my big brother.  _Hmmph_.

I took Mom's hand and gave her a reassuring smile to remind her that she still had one child who didn't hate her, before tugging her away from the door.

The room was large, and reminded me a bit of a ballroom. The walls were painted a light, delicate gold, and the ceiling was a gold and white mosaic painting, while the floor was gold and white checkered. There were plush gold and white 18th century-style sofas lining the walls and low coffee tables with bouquets of flowers sitting neatly in them.

It was a pleasant room, very elegant, like the kind of room you might find in the Louvre palace.

A tall man with a head full of white hair and a captain's suit came into the room, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Hello, my good passengers!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "I am Captain Montgomery, and I will be maneuvering this magnificent vessel through the beautiful Pacific Ocean."

Apparently he hadn't heard that the only reason why people were on this cruise was because they had gotten blackmailed into it.

"This cruise will last for two weeks. During that time, you are free to enjoy yourselves and forget about the stresses of your everyday lives."

And be forced to put up with the stress of someone spying on our every move and then sending us creepy texts about our actions. Yeah. That was really going to help de-stress us.

"We have a ten-foot deep pool, a Jacuzzi, a steam sauna, a dry sauna, an indoor tennis court, an indoor basketball court, and a gymnasium, among other activities. Breakfast will be served from six-o-clock until ten-o-clock AM, lunch from eleven-o-clock until two-o-clock PM, and dinner from five-o-clock until ten-o-clock PM. Snacks will be provided between meal times, and our kitchen is always open. But you must attend meals with your roommate – it is mandatory. Otherwise, you are free to do whatever you like."

Hmmm…there must be a catch here…I know there's a catch…

"So…enjoy your cruise everyone! We will be setting sail in five…four…three…two…"

There was a loud horn blast, the sound of an anchor being drawn up, and the ship kicked off towards the ocean.

And so begins the next two weeks of our lives…And perhaps the last two weeks of our lives…

But if this ship sinks, I'm going to make sure The Replacement is there to go down with it. Preferably with the rest of us in lifeboats.

Captain Montgomery bowed himself out of the room, and the second he did so, there was a sudden wave of vibrating and beeping cell phones. Oh great. Just what we needed – another text from the ever-friendly, peace-loving blackmailer.

We all glanced at each other nervously before pulling our phones out.

"Oh my…" Mom breathed out as she read the new message.

"Oh no…" Camille muttered.

And here was that trap I was looking for:  _ **So, now that we have set sail, the festivities can begin! I have a wonderful surprise for all of you – well, at least, it's wonderful for me. It's not so wonderful for you though. :( In the next two weeks, you will all be trapped here, on the DLS-S Cruise, like sardines in a can. But at the end of the two weeks, there will be a little accident. Not one of you will live to get off this ship – or if you do, it will be parts of your bodies, floating in the ocean. Perhaps this doesn't come as a shock to some of you, perhaps all of you. Perhaps you were even expecting it. Well, now I'm just confirming your suspicions: You will all die in exactly two weeks on the DLS-S Cruise, by my hand. You should have never tricked me or pissed me off, and now you all will pay the consequences for what you did. But have fun! Enjoy yourselves! Live life to the fullest! And take a good long look at land, at civilization, because you will never see it again. –The Replacement.**_

__


End file.
